Devil Among Devils
by King of Plot Bunnies
Summary: Same story, a different Issei. Warnings! Extremely OOC. Grossly Overpowered Issei. Gary-stu Issei. Characters from other series shamelessly inserted in an awkwardly random manner. Harem, of course.
1. Chapter 1

"Thank you! Please come again!" a brown-haired boy bowed as he handed the customer his order.

"That's our last customer for the day," a middle-aged man called out. "Just close up the front and we'll take care of everything else. Good work today, Hyoudou."

"Thanks, boss!" the boy called back as he flipped the store's sign from 'open' to 'closed'.

"I'm still amazed that the boss likes you so much, Issei-kun," a short, brown-haired girl with pigtails remarked. She took off the hat of her uniform to fan herself after working the fryers all day. "He's so grumpy and mean to everyone else!"

"I just try my best, Chiho-san," the boy, Issei, replied with a smile. "I better get going. I'm starting at a new school tomorrow."

"Really?" Chiho exclaimed. "What school?"

"Place called Kuoh Academy," Issei replied as the two began walking towards the employee lockers.

The girl's eyes widened. "Kuoh?" she gasped as the two entered the locker room, which was divided by a screen. Issei entered the left side while Chiho entered the right side.

"Yup!" Issei answered with a grin, though she couldn't see it.

"Wow!" Chiho exclaimed. "I heard the tuition to that place is really expensive! If you can afford to go there, why are you working at Wcdonalds?"

"Normally it would excessively high," Issei conceded. "But since the school just recently became co-ed, the tuition fees have been lowered substantially in order to draw in more students." A complete lie, of course. He'd simply used a little hypnosis spell to get himself enrolled. He didn't even have enough money to enroll in a public high school.

"Is that so?" the girl hummed as they finished changing and exited the locker room together. "Maybe I'll transfer there. We could hang out every day!"

"We already hang out every day at work, Chi-chan," Issei laughed. The two exited the restaurant and Issei began unchaining his bike from the bike rack.

"It's not the same!" Chiho exclaimed, puffing her cheeks angrily. She began muttering to herself. "How am I supposed to experience my romantic teen comedy if we're not in the same school?!"

"Did you say something?" Issei questioned.

"Nothing!" the girl squeaked, waving her arms frantically. "A-anyway, I live this way, so I'll see you after school tomorrow!"

"Ah, the boss actually gave me the next few days off!" Issei said.

"What?!"

"Yeah, he said it was to give me time to get used to my new school," Issei answered.

"Damn that man," Chiho muttered.

"Did you say something?"

"Nothing!" the girl shouted nervously. "I-I'll see you when you get back then! Bye!" With that the girl began sprinting in the opposite direction Issei was going.

"What a strange girl," the brown-haired boy muttered. He shrugged. "Oh, well." And with that he mounted his bike and began the long trek home.

* * *

"I'm home!" Issei called as he stepped into his apartment.

"Welcome home, Issei-sama!" a male voice called out. The brown-haired boy slipped his shoes off and stepped into his home since coming to Japan. The apartment was… cramped to say the least. His home consisted of a single room that contained a small kitchen, a kotatsu and two futons rolled up in the corner. On the far wall was a door that leads a tiny, but functional, bathroom.

Currently in the kitchen was a tall, white-haired man that appeared to be in his early twenties. He wore a black sweatshirt and grey trousers. Over his outfit he wore an olive green apron which was currently stained with whatever it was he was cooking.

"What're you making, Ashiya?" Issei asked as he collapsed at the kotatsu. "Smells great."

"I thought we'd have something special to celebrate you attending a new school, Issei-sama," the white-haired man answered. He grinned as he brought the plates over.

Issei's eyes widened. "T-T-That's ka-ka-katsudon!"

"I know!" the man cried. "I've been secretly saving for weeks in order to be able to afford the ingredients! I wanted this to feel special!"

The brown-haired boy placed his hands on Ashiya's shoulder's. "Ashiya…" he cried, tears running down his face. "You truly are my closest friend!"

The two held each other as they sobbed for their empty wallets.

"Ashiya!"

"Issei-sama!"

"Ashiya!"

"Issei-sa-"

"Oi, white-haired freak," a feminine voice called out. "Hands off my master!"

The two young men turned to see… nothing. "Down here!" They looked down to see a small puppet glaring at them. The puppet had lime-green hair and eyes with two metallic protrusions where her ears should have been. Dressed like a tiny maid, she would have looked cute if it wasn't for the psychotic gleam in her eyes.

"That wretched doll!" Ashiya scowled.

"What the fuck did you call me?!"

"Chachazero," Issei sighed. "Down, girl."

"Yes Master Issei," the doll's tone suddenly became sweet and innocent, as though she hadn't been two seconds away from slitting Ashiya's throat.

"I don't understand why you insist on keeping that doll, Issei-sama," the white-haired man scowled at the puppet. She stuck her tongue out at him in response.

"She's not that bad, Ashiya," the brown-haired boy defended his familiar as he began eating. "And she was a gift, remember?"

"Ah, yes," the man muttered as he too began to eat. "From that vampire wench, correct? The one that made it her mission in life to bed you?"

Issei coughed. "Er, yes, her," he nodded.

"I can see why she was so eager to get rid of it," Ashiya remarked dryly.

"Fuck you, too," Chachazero said offhandedly.

"So why _did_ she give you her familiar?" the white-haired man asked curiously.

"My former master believed that I would drive Issei-sama insane, causing him to crawl back to her in tears, pleading to take me back." Chachazero explained cheerfully. "She would then give him an ultimatum: become her mate or suffer for the rest of eternity."

"…" Both men were stunned into silence.

"But my new master is too awesome to fall for such a petty scheme!" the puppet cried. "Hey, Master, can I feed you?"

Issei blinked at the sudden change in subject. "Er, sure, Zero-chan," The puppet squealed happily. She grabbed hold of one of her metallic ears and pulled, unsheathing a six inch knife.

"That never fails to disturb me," Ashiya muttered, staring at the knife as the puppet stabbed some food and fed it to her master. "You realize those very same knives have most likely taken the lives of dozens, if not hundreds, of people."

"Oh, come on, Ashiya," Issei rolled his eyes.

"Yeah," the puppet agreed. "It was _way_ more than that."

The two men paused.

"…Whatever…"

"Issei-sama!"

"Our hands aren't exactly clean either, Alciel," Issei said quietly.

"…Of course, Maou-sama,"

* * *

"So this is Kuoh, huh?" Issei muttered as he stood at the front gates in his new uniform. He could see why tuition was so expensive. His wallet felt lighter just _looking_ at the elegant buildings and immaculate school grounds.

A series of muffled noises coming from his bag drew the attention of several of his fellow students. He waved at them nervously before ducking behind a nearby tree. Opening his bag, he quickly silenced the offender with a flick to the forehead.

"Ow!" Chachazero grunted, rubbing at the afflicted spot.

"Zero-chan, we agreed that if you wanted to come, you had to be quiet!"

"Why do I have to be stuffed in that cramped-ass bag of yours?!"

"What else would you have me do?" Issei sighed. "I can't exactly carry you around without drawing some rather unwanted attention to myself."

"Why not?" the doll asked with a pout. "Don't worry, Master! I'll slice up anyone who gives you trouble!"

"Do you remember why we came to Japan in the first place?" he asked, his voice deadpan. Chachazero averted her eyes. "Zero-chan…"

"It's was that bitch's fault!"

"You provoked her into attacking us!" Issei snapped. "She ended up destroying the city! We had to flee the country!"

"It's not my fault she's a complete klutz!" the puppet snapped in return. "I swear she can't even tie her own shoes without help…"

"Ugh, now I've got a huge headache," the brown-haired boy sighed. "Alright, Zero-chan, if I let you out, you _have _to stay completely still around other people, okay?"

"Got it, Master," the puppet saluted him before leaping on top of his head. "Shotgun!"

"… I don't even have the strength to argue with you anymore…" Issei muttered as he he began making his way to his new classroom. There was no one in the halls, so he could only assume that he was late.

Finding his class after several minutes of searching, he knocked on the door before sliding it open. Simultaneously, everyone's eyes turned towards him.

"Ah, you must be the new student," the teacher exclaimed. "Come on in and introduce yourself."

Doing as instructed, he stepped into the class. Immediately whispers began flying throughout the room.

"A new student?"

"He's cute!"

"What's with the doll?"

Issei walked to the chalkboard and wrote his name in kanji and hiragana. He turned towards the class and smiled charmingly, nearly causing several girls to swoon.

"Hello, everyone, my name is Hyoudou Issei," the brown-haired boy introduced himself. "I only recently returned to Japan after living overseas. I hope we can be friends." He finished with a bow.

"Does anyone have any questions for Hyoudou-kun?" the teacher asked. Several hands went up.

Issei pointed at a glasses wearing girl. "Yes?"

The girl stood, adjusting her glasses. "Kiriyuu Aika," the girl introduced. "What's with the doll, Hyoudou-kun?"

"Ah, it was given to me by… a dear friend of mine," Issei answered. Chachazero pulled on his hair for the 'it' comment, but he ignored her. "I carry it with me so I will never forget that person."

The puppet on his head let out a scoff, which was thankfully drowned out by the chorus of 'Aw' by the girls of the class.

Another girl stood, a desperate look on her face. "Was this person a girlfriend?"

Issei coughed. "No, she wasn't."

"She wanted to be _much_ more," Chachazero whispered snidely, which was fortunately drowned out by sighs of relief from several girls. Issei's eye twitched. He would have to discipline her later. Though with how much she seemed to enjoy his punishments, he didn't see much point in it.

A boy stood this time. "Name's Matsuda. My question is this: WHY DID YOU COME HERE?! DIE YOU DAMN BISHOUNEN!"

Issei didn't have to answer, as Matsuda was quickly mauled by half of the females in the room.

After the teacher managed to restore order, he assigned Issei a seat and began class. As Issei sat down he closed his eyes. '_I can sense quite a few devils in this school._'

He knew that the school consisted of three stories. 1st years on Floor 1, 2nd years on Floor 2 and 3rd years on Floor 3. He was currently in room 2-A. He could sense another devil next door in room 2-B and five more in 2-C.

"Six devils…" he muttered to himself as he stared out the window. He had been placed in the back row, right next to the window. For some reason, this felt very cliché. "Six devils on this floor alone, but all of them seem low class in terms of power." He hadn't bothered to check the other floors or buildings.

"Well, Hyoudou-kun," the teacher suddenly said. "Since you seem so talkative, why don't you tell me the answer?"

"327.65," the brown-haired boy said dismissively after glancing at the problem in question.

"T-That's correct…" the teacher muttered as the class looked at him in astonishment. "Very good, Hyoudou-kun…"

Issei spent the rest of class gazing out the window, answering whatever questions the teacher threw at him. Needless to say, by the end of the day, he had become the talk of the school.

And as he walked off the school grounds towards home, he was well aware he was being watched.

Some distance away, two beautiful young women were unaware they had already been detected. One of them, a stunning Caucasian girl with green eyes and crimson-red hair watched the new student with rapt attention. "So, that's the famous Hyoudou Issei-kun…"

"He's only been here for a day, but he's already made quite a name for himself," the other, a black-haired girl said with a serene smile. "The mysterious boy from overseas with genius intellect and a handsome appearance; Kiba-kun's rival for the title of School Prince."

"Mmm, how interesting," the red-haired girl licked her lips and grinned. "I'll certainly be keeping a close eye on you, Hyoudou Issei-kun…"

* * *

**A/N: For those that don't know, katsudon is a common Japanese dish.**


	2. Chapter 2

"I'm home!" Issei called out as he and Chachazero stepped into their apartment.

"Welcome home, Issei-sama!" Ashiya called out in return. The brown-haired boy slid his shoes off and entered the sole room of their apartment. "Did anything of interest happen today?"

"There seems to be quite a few devils attending the school," Issei replied as Chachazero hopped off his head and onto the kotatsu.

"Most of them seem low-class in terms of power," the puppet continued for him. "Though two of them seemed mid-class; we believe they are pure-blooded devils, with the others being their servants."

"Ah, the 'Evil Piece' system," Ashiya commented as he took his own seat at the kotatsu. He reached into his back pocket, revealing an envelope. "Issei-sama, we've received a missive from the others."

Issei took the proffered message and read for several moments before nodding. "The others will be arriving in short order."

"Where'd they all go anyway?" the green-haired puppet asked curiously.

"Well, when we had to _flee_ _the country_," Issei began as the puppet cocked her head innocently. "We were forced to scatter."

"Really?" Chachazero muttered, rubbing her tiny chin. "I don't remember any of that…"

"I believe you were too busy trying to kill everything around you," the brown-haired boy deadpanned.

"Ah, yes," the doll said, nodding nostalgically. "_That _I remember."

Issei let out a sigh. "Well, anyway-"

"I'm home!" a voice called out, causing all three to freeze. They turned to see Ashiya standing at the doorway with a stunned expression on his face, his arms laden with groceries from the hundred yen store.

"Ashiya?" Issei questioned in surprise. He turned back to the white-haired man sitting across from him, his eyes narrowed. "Tamamo…"

'Ashiya' let out a playful smirk before being enveloped in a cloud of smoke.

_**POOF!**_

When the smoke cleared, 'Ashiya' had disappeared and in his place stood a beautiful girl with light reddish-pink hair and mischievous amber eyes. Her hair was tied into long pigtails using a large blue ribbon. She wore a dark blue and black kimono that left her shoulders completely exposed and giving him an ample view of her rather sizeable bust. Her figure was slim and attractive, further emphasized by the elegant black and gold obi tied around her waist. And though the outfit left her shoulders exposed, the arms of her kimono remained, however, in imitation of arm warmers. The kimono itself cut off at her upper thigh and gave him a good look at the milky skin of her legs before it gave way to dark purple stockings and a pair of elegant black geta sandals.

Her most exotic features, however, were by far the canine-esque ears jutting from the top of her head as well as the long, bushy orange tail that was currently swaying behind her in amusement.

"Guilty as charged, Master," Tamamo giggled.

"Oh, great," Chachazero groaned. "The fox-girl."

The only sign of she heard the puppet was the twitching of her ears as said fox-girl latched onto Issei's arm, pressing her breasts against him provocatively. "Oh, I missed you so much, Master!"

Issei smiled wanly. "I missed you, too," he replied before carefully removing himself from her grip. In the background, Ashiya merely sighed before getting started on supper. "Tamamo, I'm surprised you found us so quickly. And where is Suzuki? I thought she was with you?"

"Oh, her?" the fox-girl asked offhandedly. "I ditched her after we escaped."

"You what?" Ashiya demanded as he set the tea down before them.

Tamamo waved him off. "Ah, she'll be fine," she said. "She's a tough one. Besides, you pamper the others too much, Master! You should pamper _me_ instead~" She took a sip of her tea and frowned. "What's with this crappy tea?"

Ashiya scowled at her. "It's all we can afford right now, especially after our party last night."

"Mou!" the fox-girl whined. "You guys had a party without me?"

"Wouldn't call it much of a party," Chachazero remarked. "These two idiots were making a big deal out of katsudon."

"Zero-chan!"

The puppet looked at her master, her expression deadpan. "You may be my master, but you're still an idiot." She said bluntly. "Honestly, 327.65?"

"So what?"

"We were in English class!" the puppet snapped. Issei averted his eyes.

"Well, I wanted them to accept me without asking too many questions and drawing unwanted attention to myself," he said. "So I may have cast a tiny hypnosis charm on them…"

"Well that backfired spectacularly," Chachazero deadpanned as Tamamo stood and poured her undrunken tea down the sink.

"Oi!" Ashia growled. "Don't waste our resources!"

The fox-girl ignored him in favor of looking around the apartment with a frown on her face. "Why are we living in such a tiny apartment?"

"Oh, no!" Chachazero muttered, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Our humble abode does not live up to the standards of the great Tamamo-no-Mae! Whatever shall we do?"

"But of course!" the legendary fox sniffed. "I was the courtesan of an emperor, you know!"

"COUGH-glorified whore-COUGH!"

"Zero-chan!"

"Sorry,"

"This is only a temporary base," the white-haired man quickly spoke up, sensing the impending explosion. "Until we can gather our resources, however, we're stuck here."

"In other words, until Suzuki gets here, we're screwed," Tamamo asked dryly as she sent a dangerous glare at Chachazero. The puppet stuck her tongue out in response.

"Well, if somebody hadn't _ditched _her…" Issei muttered as the fox-girl cocked her head innocently. He rose from his seat and made his way to one of the kitchen drawers. He withdrew a large envelope and handed it to the fox-girl. "These are your identification papers. You've also been enrolled as a second year student at Kuoh Academy."

Tamamo took a look at her papers and frowned. "Maeno Tamamo?" she huffed. "Very creative."

"Blame Ashiya,"

"So, what's our source of income for the time being?"

"Well, I'm working part-time at WcDonalds and Ashiya is working as a telephone operator at some small company." Issei paused, raising an eyebrow at the now giggling fox-girl. "What's so funny?"

"I-I'm sorry!" Tamamo placed a hand over her mouth to stifle the sound of her laughter. "I-I 'm just trying to picture you asking me if 'Would you like fries with that?'"

The brown-haired boy quickly grew irritated. "Well just you wait!" he snapped "I know for a fact that I'll be getting a promotion soon. That shall be my first step in climbing the corporate ladder and RULING THIS COUNTRY!"

"Master, you're doing it again," Chachazero interrupted his maniacal laughter.

Issei coughed. "Thank you, Zero-chan." The puppet nodded.

"So," Tamamo said, as though her master hadn't gone into a hysterical fit just a few moments ago. "I placed a few seals around town before coming here. Already I've detected supernatural movement."

Issei nodded. "As I told you, we've already discerned that there are two pure-blooded devils living in this town; both of which have several 'Peerage' members."

"Devils, huh?" the fox yokai muttered, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "My seals informed me that there are also several fallen angels moving throughout the city as well."

"The word around town is that the church on top of the hill was abandoned until recently, Issei-sama," Ashiya supplied. "Apparently a strange priest moved in and several other characters have been spotted coming and going. The fallen are likely based there."

"Any angel sightings?"

"None so far, Master,"

Issei nodded. "Alright then, we'll continue to lay low and observe them," he said. "Hopefully they remain neutral. I'd rather avoid having to deal with Azazel's nonsense. Just thinking of having to listen to him prattle on about Sacred Gears is giving me a headache."

"And what of the devils, Issei-sama?" Ashiya asked. "Should we contact them?"

"I'd prefer not to, but I believe they've already noticed me," Issei admitted.

"No kidding, those two girls were practically drooling over you," Chachazero interjected snidely.

"Girls?" Tamamo smirked. "Ohoho, are you seducing more women, Master? Aren't we, your beautiful and ever-so-willing servants enough to sate your lust?"

"They were Rias Gremory and Himejima Akeno," Issei said, ignoring the fox-girl, much to her displeasure. "Apparently they are quite popular among the student body."

"Gremory?" Ashiya asked in surprise. "Of the 72 Pillars?"

"The very same," the brown-haired boy nodded. "After some digging, I've discovered that the president of the school is called Sona Shitori. I believe that her true name is Sona Sitri."

"Those two are the heiresses of their families," Tamamo noted. "And both are sisters of the current leaders of New-Hell."

Issei nodded once more. "Indeed," he intoned as Ashiya placed dinner before them. "Itadakimasu."

"…What the hell is this?" the fox frowned.

"Cucumbers dipped in honey!" the brown-haired boy said enthusiastically. "If you close your eyes and pinch your nose, it really does taste like watermelon!"

The legendary kitsune closed her eyes… and wept. "Suzuki!" she wailed. "I'm sorry for ditching you! Please get here soon!"

* * *

"Mou… I'm so hungry…" Tamamo groaned as the two entered Kuoh Academy the next day. She had transformed into her fully human form before leaving the apartment, leaving her with a normal pair of ears and rendering her tail-less.

Issei had to admit, she pulled off the uniform spectacularly with her slim figure, long legs and a sizeable bust. Needless to say she was drawing quite a bit of attention.

"Who's that beauty?"

"Why's she walking with Hyoudou-kun?"

"Don't tell me they're together?!"

"Nooooo!"

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea…?" Issei muttered.

Tamamo giggled. "Aw, what's the matter, Master?" she teased. "Feeling shy?"

"We're trying to avoid drawing too much attention to ourselves,"

"Well you already screwed yourself over on that part yesterday," Chachazero whispered from her position on his shoulder. "Face it; you're always gonna draw attention to yourself no matter where you go. It's Murphy's Law."

Issei merely sighed as they reached their class. He took his seat as the kitsune spoke with the teacher. He hoped she could at least introduce herself in a normal fashion…

"Hello everyone! " she exclaimed with a wink. "I'm Maeno Tamamo and I'm Issei-kun's mistress~"

'_Of course not,' _Issei thought as chaos ensued.

* * *

**A/N: Characters will most likely be fleshed out later on when they actually meet Rias and the others. For those of you who just can't wait, here's a quick character bio.**

* * *

**Characters introduced so far:**

**Hyoudou Issei/Maou ****- (_High School DxD) - _**_With the appearance of a young teenager, one would never suspect that Hyoudou Issei is one of the most powerful beings in existance: one of the original seven Maou. Which one? The most powerful of them all, naturally. Satan, the Lord of Wrath, the King of Demons, the Devil himself. After the deaths of God, Issei, drained of much of his power, fled into the human world with only Ashiya at his side. Knowing that his enemies both external and internal would take advantage of his weakened state to kill him, he remained hidden among the humans. But the world moved on without God... and without him. Believing their leader to be dead, talented young devils eventually rose up to lead their people. The world found relative peace without him... and so he continued to isolate himself from his people, even as he regained his power. But, as Chachazero said, Murphy's Law is a bitch and no matter where he went, trouble was sure to follow..._

**Shirou Ashiya/Alciel - (_Hataraku Maou-sama/The Devil is a Part-Timer!_) - **_Seemingly a young man in his early twenties with grayish-white hair and gold eyes. Ashiya is Issei's most loyal and powerful servant. A constant companion, Ashiya and Issei have been together for as long as they can remember. An extremely talented practitioner of magic, Ashiya has used his magical prowess to serve and protect his master for millenia upon millenia. He's also a damn good cook when given proper ingredients. (i.e. not 100¥ store groceries) Servant. Friend. Comrade. World's Greatest Housewife. Ashiya is all of these and more._

**Chachazero - _(Negima! Magister Negi Magi) _**_- An enchanted doll created by the beautiful and powerful Dark Mistress, Evangeline Athanasia Katherine (Kitty) McDowell. A cute child's plaything, right? Wrong**.** Have you ever heard of Chucky? Well, he's got nothing on Chachazero. As psychotic as they come, her blades have been bathed in the blood of countless people; human or otherwise. Given to Issei by Evangeline in a failed attempt at courtship, Chachazero is nevertheless completely devoted to her new master. And should anybody attempt to move in on him... well..._

**Maeno Tamamo/Tamamo-no-Mae - _(Fate/extra) _**_- The legendary kitsune herself. Long ago, she was known as the most beautiful and intelligent woman in Japan. There was seemingly nothing she did not know. Not surpising from a being that was created from a part of the goddess Amaterasu herself. Her beauty and knowledge earned the attention of the Emperor, who made her a part of his court. However, the Emperor soon grew ill. A priest began investigating the cause of the illness and after a powerful ritual, discovered Tamamo's true identity as a nine-tailed fox. She was chased from the court and attacked by the Emperor's army. She defeated this force, but the battle took its toll on her. She was defeated by a second force and sealed away in the Killing Stone, which would poison any who attempted to free her. Years later, the stone was stumbled across by the man who would eventually call himself Issei and the Demon King set her free. Grateful, the beautiful fox swore to follow and serve him to the best of her abilities. And so the Demon King utilized his formidable power to reincarnate her into a devil. Even now, centuries later, Issei continues to utilize her abilities to disguise herself from nearly all forms of sensory, cast powerful illusions and her formidible youjutsu. Although skilled in senjutsu and proficient in the martial arts, Tamamo is more of a 'Caster' type..._

* * *

**A/N2: Fucking hell. I don't even know what I'm doing anymore. Not to say I had much idea what I was doing before...**


	3. Chapter 3

Issei let out sigh as the school bell rung, signaling the start of lunch break and glanced up to see Tamamo being ushered out by a group of girls. He had tasked her this morning with gathering information on the devils of the school and would most likely use those girls to do so.

Either that or assert her position as Queen-and-Supreme-Overlord-of-the-School or as Chachazero described 'attention whoring'. He could never really tell with her.

Seeing other students starting to approach him, most likely wanting to know his relationship with Tamamo, he quickly ducked out. He really didn't want to deal with them right now.

Moving quickly and trying to stay out of sight, he eventually found a secluded meadow-like area near an older school building and away from the curious stares of his classmates. Heaving small sigh of relief, he sat down under a large tree and opened the feast prepared by his loyal housekeeper, Ashiya.

"Tea on rice!" he cheered as he spotted his pathetically meager meal. "Ashiya, you've outdone yourself once again!"

"Honestly…" Chachazero muttered from her place on his shoulder.

As he devoured his meal, he noticed a commotion nearby. The girl's kendo club was chasing down two boys, shinai in hand and violence in their eyes. He recognized the boys as Matsuda and Motohama from his class. Even after only two days in school, he'd already heard of their reputation as hardcore perverts.

Now Issei himself was very appreciative of the female body, with many of his own servants and acquaintances being quite beautiful in their own right.

But those two boys… They would give Asmodeus a run for his money!

Feeling mischievous, he subtly pointed at them with his right hand and both boys suddenly felt the ground shift beneath them, causing them both to land flat on their faces. Leaning back, he watched with wry amusement as the kendo club pounced on the two unfortunate boys.

"Master…"

Issei sighed. "I know, Zero-chan,"

He looked up at the crimson-haired girl spying on him from the old school building and smiled wanly.

* * *

"He knows magic," Rias exclaimed in surprise.

"Really?" Akeno questioned. "Strange, I can't feel anything out of the ordinary with him."

"Neither can I," the red-haired girl muttered as she moved away from the window. "He must be concealing himself."

"And what do you intend to do with him?"

"I'm still interested," she replied with a smirk. "More so now, in fact. I'll have Koneko tail him after school."

"And if he proves to be dangerous?"

"We'll cross that bridge if we come to it," the redhead said offhandedly.

"I'm back," a male voice called out. They turned to see a handsome blonde-haired boy entering, bowing slightly as he came in.

"Yuuto," Rias acknowledged. "Welcome back."

"Ara, Kiba-kun, was there something you needed?" the black-haired girl asked. "You're usually with your human friends during lunch breaks."

"Actually, there is," Yuuto nodded. "I wish to discuss the fallen angels that have moved in recently..."

Rias frowned. "Ah, yes, there's that, too," she muttered. "I wonder…"

"Buchou?"

"I've noticed that the angels seem to be watching a certain establishment," Rias explained. "The WcDonalds in the shopping district. Unless I'm mistaken, I've seen Hyoudou Issei-kun working there."

"Do you think the fallen angels are after him, Buchou?" Yuuto asked.

"It's a possibility," the redhead nodded. "Tell me, what do you two know of him so far?"

"Only that he seems very popular," Yuuto admitted.

"After checking the school registry, with permission from Sona-kaicho, I've discovered that he's been attending school overseas," Akeno replied. "After his parents passed away, he returned to Japan to live with a friend of the family; one 'Shirou Ashiya'. And not to mention the matter of that strange girl that transferred in this morning."

Yuuto frowned. "Strange girl?" he repeated.

"A new student transferred into class 2-A," Rias rolled her eyes. "She declared herself his mistress,"

Yuuto winced. "Well, perhaps that is strange," he admitted. "But for all we know she could be telling the truth."

Rias sighed. "Perhaps," she allowed. "Anyway, we'll keep an eye on both of them."

"And the fallen angels, Buchou?"

"I want to find out what they're after," the redhead declared. "I'd rather avoid a conflict, however. For now, we'll continue to observe them."

Yuuto nodded as the bell rang. "Very well, Buchou," he turned towards the door. "I'll be returning to class now."

"Oh, Yuuto," Rias called. "If you see Koneko, be sure to remind her to come see me after school."

"Yes, Buchou," with that, the blonde made his exit. Only when the door fully closed behind him did he allow a fox-like grin to stretch across his face.

* * *

"You're not human," a white-haired girl said stiffly as she stood in his path.

Issei sighed. Tamamo had warned him that someone would be tailing him after school, but he hadn't been expecting _this_. "And what makes you say that, Toujou-san?" Thankfully, he had stuffed Chachazero into his bag when he saw her approaching.

"You're hiding your aura using an unknown method," the girl replied warily. "But I can still sense your_ ki_, which is very much inhuman. In fact, you feel very much like a devil."

"Senjutsu?" Issei asked in surprise. The girl, if possible, stiffened even more.

"I insist you come see Buchou," Koneko said lowly. She looked ready to fight. Issei merely sighed once more.

"Very well then, lead the way." He conceded. '_Honestly, a few days and I've been discovered already? I'm losing my touch.'_

When the girl began leading him away, he opened his bag. Chachazero was glaring at him venomously. _Sorry, Zero-chan _he mouthed the words. _I'm going to be delayed, go and tell Ashiya. Don't worry. I can handle this._

She looked ready to protest, but he silenced her with a glare. Reluctantly, she slipped out of his bag and into a nearby bush.

Issei continued to follow the petite girl as she led him to the old school building. He had attempted to converse with the small girl, but she only responded with small, terse statements.

As they entered the building, he noticed a door that had been sealed with a sign that read 'Do not enter'. They stopped in front of a different door and Koneko announced their presence.

"Buchou, I've brought him," she called as she opened the door for him.

Inside, three people turned to them in surprise. He recognized them as Rias Gremory, Himejima Akeno and Kiba Yuuto. '_So this is her peerage?'_

"Hyoudou-san?" Rias questioned. "Koneko, why did you bring him here?"

"He's not human, Buchou," the white-haired girl explained. The two females looked surprised, but Kiba sported a strange expression.

"Is that so?" the crimson-haired girl asked. "And just what is he?"

"He's a devil, Buchou,"

The redhead's eyes narrowed. "Is that so?" she asked quietly. She seemed disappointed…? "Well, Hyoudou-san, may I ask your purpose here at our prestigious academy? And why did you not inform me or Sona Sitri prior to entering the city?"

"To be honest?" he shrugged as he was shown to one of the couches by Akeno. "I wasn't even aware there were other devils in this city until just yesterday. I was more concerned with getting a promotion at WcDonalds!"

"Is…that so…?" Rias sweat dropped. "And… why exactly did you come here?"

"No particular reason," he replied. "My companions and I have been traveling the world for a while. Some of them originated from Japan, so I felt we should pay a visit."

"I see…" she said. "And I presume these 'companions' are in fact your servants?" He hesitated slightly before nodding. Not that any of them noticed.

However Rias did appear thoughtful. "I've never heard the name Hyoudou before, though…"

"I'm not affiliated with a clan," he explained.

"Ah, you're an 'Extra Devil' then," she nodded. "And I assume the girl that transferred and declared herself your mistress this morning is one of your servants?"

Issei chuckled in embarrassment as the crimson-haired girl looked at him in amusement. "Sorry about that…" he saw Kiba twitch in his peripheral vision.

Rias looked at her servants, who simply shrugged. He seemed to be telling the truth.

"Very well then. So long as you don't intend to cause any trouble, I see no reason for conflict." She gave him a smile and in that moment Issei realized just why she was considered the most beautiful girl in the school.

The crimson-haired beauty stood from her desk and walked around, offering her hand. "Allow me to officially welcome you to Kuoh Academy, Hyoudou-san."

"Issei is fine," the brown-haired boy nodded as he shook her proffered hand.

"Very well, Issei-kun," she nodded. "You-"

Whatever she was about to say was interrupted as a voice called out. "Buchou, I'm back!"

The room's occupants turned to see Kiba Yuuto walking through the door. "Y-Yuuto?!" Rias exclaimed in shock as she looked between the two Kibas. "But…!"

Issei sighed loudly as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I'm so sorry about this," he said, glaring at the Kiba on the couch. 'Kiba' allowed a smirk to cross his face before being enveloped in a cloud of smoke.

**_POOF!_**

"Mou, people always have the worst timing!" Tamamo complained.

"W-Wha, who…!"

"Once again, I'm sorry," Issei apologized. "This is Tamamo, my servant."

"That's not possible!" Koneko suddenly snapped. She looked the most shocked out of everyone in the room. "I couldn't sense her at all!" she actually looked a bit… frightened.

"Yes, that's one of her many talents," Issei nodded. "She can completely disguise herself from nearly all forms of sensory." Rias' eyes were narrowed in thought.

"One would have to be very skilled in senjutsu in order to hide them self from another user…" she muttered. "Powerful senjutsu… shape shifting… Tamamo…!" she looked up at them in shock. "S-She can't be…!"

"You know your history well, hime," the girl grinned as nine majestic fox tails sprouted from her lower back. "Yes, my true name is Tamamo-no-Mae."

Rias and her servants looked awed. "To think you have such a legendary person as your servant…" the redhead muttered as she looked at Issei in a new light. "You must be very powerful… Who exactly are you…?"

Issei shrugged. "I was just in the right place at the right time,"

"I see," she accepted his answer. For now, at least. "How many of your servants are here?"

"Currently, only two," Issei replied. "Tamamo is the only one here at school with me, however, as my other servant's chosen appearance is a little too old for high school and I suspect that my other servants will be arriving sometime within the next few weeks."

"I see," Rias nodded as she took a seat on the couch opposite Issei. "Well, Issei-san, I'd like to extend an invitation for you to join the Occult Research Club."

"Oh?"

"Yes, the club is just a front," she explained. "I won't actually have any power over you. We just use it as an excuse to get out of class if the need arises."

"I see,"

"Plus I feel that cooperation between our groups would be beneficial, would it not?" she continued. "Being in the same club will provide an easy way of communication and-"

"Alright, you've convinced me," Issei chuckled. "Very well, Gremory-san. We'll join your club."

Rias beamed. "Well, I suppose introductions are in order," she stood from her seat. "I am Rias Gremory, of the Gremory House and I am «King» of this group."

The crimson-haired girl allowed her aura to extend and wash over them, causing Issei to blink in surprise.

'_She's already remarkably strong for her age,' _he thought. _'Though considering who her brother is, I'm not really surprised.'_

Rias waved her hand towards the ponytailed girl who was preparing tea. "This is Himejima Akeno. She is my «Queen»."

The black-haired girl bowed to him as she placed their tea on the table. "I'm in your care, Issei-kun" she said with a serene smile. She truly looked like the definition of 'yamato nadeshiko', the perfect Japanese woman.

"This is Kiba Yuuto, my «Knight»."

Kiba, who had looked very confused for the majority of his time there, nodded to him with a smile akin to that of a prince. "Nice to meet you, Issei-kun."

"And this is Toujou Koneko, my «Rook»."

The normally stoic white-haired girl looked uncharacteristically nervous and kept glancing at Tamamo out of the corner of her eye. Her expression seemed to be a mixture of awe and fear.

"…Nice to meet you…" she nodded at him quietly.

Issei took that as his cue to stand and introduce himself. "I am Hyoudou Issei, traveler," He then smiled mischievously and released a fraction of his own aura.

His aura actually caused the crimson-haired princess to stagger backwards in shock. The rest of her peerage also appeared floored. Had they been standing they likely would have been brought to their knees.

"T-That's incredible…" Rias muttered as she composed herself. Her peerage continued to stare at him in mute shock. "_That_ was your true strength…?"

"Sorry about that," Issei chuckled. They simply smiled at him weakly. "And this is Maeno Tamamo my, uh, «Bishop»…"

"I'm pleased to make your acquaintance," the fox-girl gave an elegant bow that gave Akeno a run for her money in the title of 'yamato nadeshiko'.

"It's an honor to meet you as well, Tamamo-san," Rias practically had stars in her eyes, her earlier shock from Issei's aura forgotten.

'_Don't tell me she's one of those people obsessed about anything Japanese-related...'_

Akeno coughed delicately, causing Rias to snap out of her Japan-induced daze. "R-Right, sorry," she said sheepishly. "A-Anyway, I welcome you to our humble club, Issei-kun."

"Thank you, Gremory-senpai,"

"Rias," Issei smiled.

"Very well, Rias-senpai,"

"Well, today has certainly been an exciting day," the red-haired girl smiled. "I'll have to introduce you to Sona soon. You mentioned you have another servant, but he's too old for high school?"

'_All of us are too old for high school,_' Issei thought wryly. "Indeed."

"I'll talk to Sona tonight about getting him a teaching position at the school," she offered. "I'd imagine you'd like your servants close at hand."

"That would be very helpful, thank you," Issei bowed to her. "I suppose I'll see you tomorrow then, senpai."

"Until tomorrow, Issei-kun," Rias called as he and Tamamo took their leave.

"What do you think of this development, Buchou?" Akeno asked curiously.

"I'm a little disappointed I can't make him a part of my peerage," she replied. "This isn't exactly an unpleasant development though. He's powerful. He has to be to have Tamamo-no-Mae in his peerage. With the sudden increase of fallen angel activity, it'll be nice to have him on our side."

"The fallen were watching his workplace, weren't they?" Kiba piped in. "Do you think they know he's a devil?"

"I doubt it," Rias shook her head. "He's good at hiding his power. We only found out he's a devil because of Koneko here. No, they must be after something else. But what?"

"Perhaps Issei-kun knows something about it?" Akeno suggested.

"I hope so," she smiled slightly.

"Ara, you seem happy, Buchou,"

Rias flushed slightly. "Well, I find him very interesting," she said quickly. "And you can't deny you feel the same way, Akeno."

"Ufufu," she placed a hand to her cheek as they became rosy. "I admit, when he unleashed his aura, I felt hot all over. It was so… _dominating_. I think I'm jealous of Tamamo-dono."

"If she's his «Bishop», I shudder to think who his «Queen» is," Rias muttered.

"I wouldn't be surprised if his entire peerage consisted of monsters," Kiba added his two cents. He smiled. "I look forward to meeting them."

"As do I," Rias nodded. She looked towards her «Rook» who had been unusually quiet. "Koneko, are you okay?"

The white-haired girl jumped slightly at being called out. "…I'm fine, Buchou,"

"It's Tamamo-san, isn't it?" Koneko nodded hesitantly. "You fear her senjutsu?" Another hesitant nod and Rias sighed.

"Ara, perhaps she can help you," Akeno said comfortingly. "She's a legendary spirit with lots of experience. I'm certain she can teach you if you ask her nicely~"

"There's no need to rush, Koneko," Rias added sympathetically. "Take as much time as you need."

Koneko merely nodded as she gazed at the door in which Issei and Tamamo had left from.

* * *

"We're home!" Issei called out as he and Tamamo stepped through the threshold. The sound of frantic running was his only warning before he was suddenly pulled inside.

"Issei-sama!" Ashiya shouted hysterically. "Are you okay?! Did they touch you in inappropriate places?! IS YOUR PURITY INTACT?!"

"I'm not exactly a virgin, Ashiya," Issei growled before realizing just _what_ his servant was saying. "Wait, what did Chachazero tell you?!"

"She said you'd been accosted by sexual deviants!" the white-haired man shrieked, still in hysterics. "She said that they'd caught you while your guard was down and that the lewd-no-good-fox was just egging them on. She said you'd ordered her to save herself with the very last of your strength!" He let out a growl. "I was going to save you, but I couldn't find my Demon-General's cape."

"Wait, you mean the reason you didn't save me was because you couldn't find your _cape_?!" Issei roared.

"Master, I think you're missing the point…" Tamamo began.

"I'm sorry, Issei-sama!" Ashiya cried, groveling before him, tears running down his face.

"Damn it, Ashiya! You're supposed to be my right hand!"

"I'm sorry!"

"Master…"

"How am I supposed to rely on you?!"

"I'm sorry!"

"…Master…!"

"And another thing…!"

"**_Master_**!"

"What?!"

"…Y'know what? Nevermind... " The poor girl really did look exhausted. "I'm tired. Wake me up when dinner's ready…"

From her perch on the kitchen counter, Chachazero surveyed her handiwork with a wicked smirk.

"Just another day in the life…"

* * *

**A/N: Y'know, I originally intended for this to be a pure crack fic, but I seem to keep deviating from that the more I write. Am I just not suited to write crack? Oh, well. No reason it can't just be a humorous story.**

**Like I said, Issei's going to be overpowered. So in turn, several other characters will be getting power ups as well. Michael and Azazel come to mind and if I encounter problems later, you can bet your ass I'll retcon them to overcome it.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: So I was watching the anime in English. It's a surprisingly good dub. I actually preferred Asia and Rias' English voices over their Japanese voices. But maybe that's just because I'm tired of Yoko Hikasa… Issei's voice wasn't half bad either, though I found his …figurative language… interesting to say the least.**

* * *

"Please go out with me!" a black-haired girl cried out, bowing low as she awaited his reply.

The girl in question was wearing a different uniform from his own with a red jacket with the letter 'P' embroidered upon her breast pocket, a white undershirt with a red bow and a green skirt. Her dainty hands cradled her handbag as her violet eyes looked up at him nervously.

'_Well this was unexpected,' _Issei thought, resisting the urge to heave a world weary sigh. The girl was a fallen angel, he could tell that much. But just what did she want from him? "I'm sorry, who are you?"

The girl seemed to flush in embarrassment. "S-Sorry," she stuttered. "My name is Amano Yuuma. It's just… I've watched you walking by a few times already, but I've only just managed to gather the courage to ask you out. You're not… seeing anyone, are you?"

"Well… no," he said cautiously. _'Well, her story technically checks out.' _And he _had _noticed her watching him walk home from school and at work. However, he was certain that he'd kept his aura hidden at all times. The time with Rias and her peerage a few days ago being the sole exception, but he'd made sure to cover his tracks on that occasion as well. He was somewhat glad that Chachazero was still somewhat upset with him and was currently at home. Most likely tormenting Ashiya.

"That's great!" The girl's face lit up. "So… will you?"

'_Well, let's take a look at the pros and cons,' _he mused.

Pros: He would be spending time with an attractive, hell, _gorgeous_ girl. He'd always had a thing for angel girls; fallen or otherwise. His love/hate relationship with a certain archangel could be considered the stuff of legend. He could also use this to discover the fallen angels' motives here in the city and why they were watching him in particular. There were also the girl's own feelings to consider. It was hardly uncommon for a fallen angel to become infatuated with a human. In fact, having explicit relations with humans was the most common reason that angels fell. Neither was it unheard of (though still rare) for a fallen angel and a devil to be intimate. In fact, Azazel had informed him some time ago that Shemhazai married a devil woman. The eccentric Governor General had expressed his hope that it would lead to further peace between the factions…

But he was digressing.

Cons: He knew for a fact that several females would give him sheer hell for getting a girlfriend. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, after all. And knowing a certain fox's skills with maleficium, he held no doubt that she would exact terrible vengeance on him. There was also a very high likelihood that this was all just a ploy of some kind, one that would no doubt end unpleasantly for both of them.

As he watched her fidget nervously, Issei realized that he'd been staring at her with a severe expression for several minutes now. He then remembered something Azazel had brought up during their last encounter.

"_A new organization has been moving in the shadows," the Governor informed him solemnly as they shared a bottle of brandy. "I fear they plan to disrupt the tentative ceasefire we've established. They call themselves the Khaos Brigade and I fear I may have a traitor among my own organization."_

"_What makes you say that?" Issei asked as he poured himself another glass._

"_Groups of fallen angels have begun behaving erratically," the former angel sighed. "You know of my interest in Sacred Gears, no? Well I asked my fellow Grigori to help by monitoring Sacred Gear users. But these users are starting to disappear."_

"_You mean they're killing them?" was his surprised response._

"_Some of them have turned up dead, yes," Azazel admitted, taking another swig of his drink. "The ones responsible claimed it was in self defense, but you can understand my doubts. Most of them however, just up and vanish."_

"_That _is_ suspicious," he nodded. "I'll contact you if I discover anything."_

Shaking himself out of his little reverie, Issei smiled with a small sigh. "Sure, I'd love to," he said finally. _'I can only hope Tamamo can understand my reasons.'_

The girl, Yuuma, he reminded himself, smiled brightly. "Really?" she let out a sigh of relief. "T-That's great! Here's my number, call me!" After writing her contact information on a slip of paper, she handed it to him with a beaming smile. "I hope I'll see you soon, Ise-kun!" With a quick bow she ran off in the opposite direction he was headed.

Issei simply watched her disappear around the corner. "Indeed, Yuuma-san…"

"Well, well, well," a smug voice called from behind him. His eyes widened. He recognized that aura…! "Seducing school girls now? I thought you were better than that, Master."

Spinning around, he spotted a blonde-haired girl leaning against a nearby lamp post. The girl wore her hair in a messy ponytail with locks of hair framing either side of her face. She was short, with him being a full head taller than her. Her outfit consisted of very little. She wore a white tube top with blue trim that left the majority of her midriff exposed and giving him a good look at her perfectly toned stomach. Slung casually over her shoulder was a bright red leather jacket. The only thing protecting her lower half from exposure were a tiny pair of daisy dukes and accessorized with a thick black and silver studded belt. Completing the ensemble were a pair of black combat boots studded with silver skulls.

Her most striking feature, in his opinion however, were her bright, forest green eyes that glared at him with a fierce intensity rarely seen in today's youth.

"She's hardly a simple school girl, Mordred," he answered coolly. "You should have been able to tell what she is."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "I was teasing," she grumbled. "Lighten up, will ya?"

"When did you arrive?" Issei asked as he approached her.

"I got to Japan a few days ago," she replied offhandedly. "I decided to take the scenic route though. Hope you don't mind."

"There's not exactly anything I can do about it anymore," he said dryly. His ears perked up as he heard the sound of motorcycles approaching them.

Within moments, the two were surrounded by what appeared to be a gang of delinquent bikers. Issei tensed as he gazed at them warily. There had to be at least a dozen of them and each of them was glaring at him menacingly.

"What's going on here?" Issei muttered.

Then, to his utter shock, one of them spoke, "Yo, aneki! Is this guy givin' you trouble?"

Mordred waved them off. "Nah, he's cool."

"You sure, aneki?" he asked again, still glaring at Issei.

The blonde girl, who couldn't be any taller than 5'2, sent a menacing glare at him. "I said he's with me, got it?" she snapped. The poor man nearly wet himself as he nodded furiously. "I find any of you messing with him; you deal with me, capisce?"

"Yes aneki!" The blonde girl nodded.

"Alright, make yourselves scarce!" she ordered. "I don't want any of you bothering me. I need you; I'll get you. Now beat it!"

Issei watched numbly as the biker gang drove off, the sounds of their motorcycles disappearing in the distance. "Mordred, I… wha…?"

The blonde-haired girl threw him a grin. "When I left the Tokyo Airport, I was confronted by that gang," she explained as she began walking away, beckoning him to follow. "They thought I was a helpless little foreign girl and tried to intimidate me into coming with them."

As she spoke, she led him around the corner where a sleek red and black motorcycle sat waiting. The nearby pedestrians seemed to avoid walking near the bike and began walking faster as they spotted Mordred.

"Of course, I wasn't going to have any of that," the blonde continued nonchalantly. "So I beat the shit out of them. You should have been there. It was glorious." She slipped her red jacket on and withdrew a pair of dark sunglasses. "They were so moved by my sheer superiority that they christened me their new leader."

Issei felt like face palming, so he did. "Mordred Pendragon, heir to the throne of Camelot and Knight of the Round Table, leader of a motorcycle gang," he heaved a world-weary sigh. "Why does this _not_ surprise me?"

The girl merely shrugged as she swung a leg over her mighty steed and revved the engine. "Hop on, Master," she urged. "Just tell me where to go."

He did so with another sigh. He was too tired to argue with her. He could only hope Tamamo would take the news about Yuuma well.

* * *

"You _WHAT_?"

God damn it. "I said, I agreed to be her boyfriend," Issei said tiredly as he, Tamamo, Mordred and Ashiya sat around the kotatsu with their tea. Chachazero sat in the corner, getting her kicks from the argument.

"And just why would you do that?" the fox-girl demanded, crossing her arms.

Issei tried to ignore the way her breasts heaved. He failed miserably, much to her delight though she remained peeved. Mordred glanced down at her own A-cup and scowled which she promptly hid by taking a sip of her tea.

Rubbing his temples, Issei replied wearily. "I told you guys about this new organization called the 'Khaos Brigade', right?" at their nods he continued. "Well, their objectives do not favor peace. According to Azazel, members of the Grigori have begun behaving strangely. Sacred Gear users are vanishing and he fears there is a traitor among them."

"And you intend to use this fallen angel girl to try and gleam information on who this traitor is," Ashiya deducted. Issei nodded.

"It's very likely that the lower ranking fallen are simply pawns being used by a higher power," he explained. "If I can get a name, Azazel can handle the rest."

"Ah, mou," Tamamo whined. "Fine! But you have to take me on date after you're done! I believe I'm entitled to it, considering I've been unfailingly loyal not to mention utterly adorable."

"I'll see what I can do," Issei sighed. An evil glint entered the fox-girl's eyes.

"Ah, but if you don't, terrible things shall await you," she whispered ominously. "Though I suppose it would be rather inconvenient for you to fall down a flight of stairs and break both your legs, so that's out. Hmm… waking up as a potato bug would be fitting… but that's way too gross, so that's out too…"

Issei felt a cold chill ridding up his spine as she spoke.

"Ah, but nothing screams 'divine punishment' quite like dysentery caused by eating moldy bread!"

"That would be a good plan," Ashiya nodded. "If we could afford bread."

Immediately, Tamamo went from vengeful to depressed as she was reminded of their financial status. "Mou," she cried. Wiping her eyes, she turned to the blonde knight across from her. "Why'd it have to be you that showed up? Why couldn't it have been Suzuki?"

Mordred gave her a harsh glare. "You got a problem with me?" she growled.

"Ohoho, if it weren't for you, I could be living in the lap of luxury, _little_ girl,"

_**Bounce!**_

If possible, Mordred's glare intensified. "You…!"

Issei sighed. "Ashiya…"

The white-haired man nodded before walking over and smacking their heads against each other.

"Ow!" the cried, looking up at him with tears in their eyes.

"Enough bickering!" he snapped. "You're troubling Issei-sama!"

"Ah, before I forget, Mordred," Issei stood and went to one of the kitchen drawers. He withdrew the appropriate identification papers and handed them over. "You'll be attending Kuoh Academy with us tomorrow. I've already arranged a uniform in your size."

The blonde frowned as she looked over her ID. "Molly Knight?" she sneered.

"Blame Ashiya," Issei and Tamamo replied.

"Oi!"

"Wait a minute," Mordred's eyes widened as she looked at Tamamo, still clad in her uniform. "You mean I have to wear _that?" _

"Is something wrong?"

"It's so… _perverted_!"

Everyone looked at her as though she were insane. "Mordred," Issei said irritably. "You're wearing even less than that right now!"

"But… look at it…!"

"Aw, the _little_ girl is afraid of skirts," Tamamo giggled tauntingly. She did a little twirl giving a tantalizing look at her panties. They were black. With lace. "It's fine, we can probably get you a boy's uniform."

The blonde nodded in satisfaction. "Good, I-"

"Besides," she continued. "I'd rather have Master's attention all to myself~" The blonde froze. "Master loves this uniform, right? Don't you think Tamamo looks sooo adorable~"

Issei coughed nervously as the fox-girl approached him seductively. Her ears suddenly propped up and a single tail burst out from her lower back. The tail emerged from beneath her skirt, causing it to hike up dangerously as it wrapped around his waist, preventing escape.

"…ar it…"

"Hmm…?" Tamamo hummed as she slowly wrapped her arms around Issei's neck. "Did you say something _little _girl?"

"…wear it…"

"Oh, Master…"

"I said I'll wear it! I'LL WEAR IT!" the blonde girl finally shouted, her face completely red. "Get off him!"

"Hmm… I don't think I will~" Tamamo giggled before kissing him provocatively.

Behind her, Mordred slowly lowered her head until her bangs shadowed her eyes. "Master…" she began quietly as something began forming in her right hand. "Would you prefer a fur coat or a hat?"

With a shriek of rage, the blonde grabbed the fully formed sword and leapt at the fox-girl, who quickly summoned a magic circle in retaliation.

In her corner, Chachazero watched the escalating fight and laughed with psychotic glee.

* * *

**A/N: Holy shit I had a lot of fun writing this one. It practically wrote itself.**

**And so another of Issei's servants appears!**

**Same deal as last time. If you don't want to know, skip it.**

**Molly Knight/Mordred Pendragon – **_**(Fate/Apocrypha) **_– _The 'son' of the King Arthur, or should I say Arturia? Mordred was conceived between Arturia and her sister Morgan le Fay through unorthodox means. Morgan had blackmailed Merlin into turning Arturia into a pseudo-male. Morgan then used magic to extract sperm from the now-male Arturia and created a homunculus clone of Arturia. She named the child Mordred. Due to her nature as a homunculus, Mordred grew much faster than other children but also possessed a shorter lifespan. Told that the throne was rightfully hers, Morgan bid Mordred to take her the King's place. And though Mordred shared that desire, before that came her adoration to the King. Ashamed of her twisted birth, Mordred envied normal people and worshipped the 'perfect king'. Given a helmet she was told to never remove, she ventured to Camelot and joined the Knights of the Round Table._

_She protected the way of the knight, all the while continuing to hide her dislike of others. However, even that came to an end when her mother, Morgan finally revealed the truth of her dark birth. While shocked, she was overjoyed. While not a proper human being, she shared the same blood as her beloved King. She felt that in name, mind and body, she was fit to be the true successor of the King. And so she went, without the slightest feelings of rebellion, spurred on by the truth, and approached the King with delight._

_The King rejected her. She was told that she could not be 'his son' and could not be the heir to the throne. Her love and childish worship of the King died then. Believing that the King rejected her because of her inhuman nature, she left Camelot only to return as the leader of its conquerors. _

_The two met on the field of battle. King and knight. Father and son… Mother and daughter. The two faced each other on a hill of swords. Mordred pointed out that Camelot was gone and that the victor no longer mattered because there was nothing left. Blaming the King, Mordred asked if the King hated the 'son of Morgan' that much. Arturia emotionlessly replied. "Not once did I despise you. There was only one reason I would not give you the throne. You did not have the capacity of a king." The two charged forward to meet each other. Mordred was bested by her 'father'._

_Freed of the mask forced upon her, with a face identical to her 'father', she spoke her final words. "…Father…" all the while reaching out to touch the King at least once, but was not even granted that wish as she fell. Being bound by a powerful curse, Mordred still swung her sword even as her strength left her and mortally wounded Arturia._

_As the King staggered away, Mordred was left, dying upon a hill of swords. As she cried out her anguish, she heard a voice. To the stricken girl, it was the most beautiful voice she had ever heard. The voice asked her if she happy with the way she had lived her life. Of course she wasn't! Her entire life had been a lie. Always alone. Manipulated by those around her. Envying those around her. Always alone…_

_The voice spoke again. It offered her a second chance. A new life. It promised to care for her as though she were his own. It offered her love and warmth. The chance to live her life the way she saw fit. To not be manipulated and not be judged for what she is._

_But it also warned her. That while he would never judge her, others would. She may come to regret her decision should she agree. She would be binding herself to servitude, to an unknown entity._

_But as the last of her strength left her and her body grew cold, she whispered the one word that would forever change her Fate._

"_Yes."_

_And for the first time in her bitterly cold life… she felt warmth._

**A/N2: Jesus that was long! I think it was longer than necessary, but oh well.**

**So did that back-story completely kill the mood or what?**

**IMPORTANT!**

**Make sure to check my profile for character reference. If you want to know what they look like, I've got links on my profile.**

**Also, I need some character ideas, guys.**

**Just note that these positions are already filled:**

**Queen**

**1 Bishop**

**1 Knight**

**1 Rook**

**And at least 1 Pawn. I'm still considering how many pawns I want this character to be worth.**

**And for all I know I might just retcon everything.**


	5. Chapter 5

"Hello," Mordred said with a stiff bow. "The name's Molly Knight. I'm from England. I would say 'please take care of me', but I really don't give a damn. Just stay out of my way and we'll get along fine."

Issei sat at his desk, smiling tiredly as the murmurs began.

"Hey, she's pretty cute,"

"What an attitude though…"

"Are all foreigners like that?"

"No way, Rias onee-sama is nowhere near like that!"

The teacher instructed the blonde girl to sit near the front of the class and was duly ignored as she swaggered over to the desk beside Issei and plopped down, her eyes daring, no, _begging_ him to refute her. The teacher looked ready to do just that but froze as his eyes suddenly glazed over.

Issei glanced at Tamamo sitting behind him and saw the fox-girl muttering under her breath as she subtly pointed her index finger at the now hypnotized instructor. Mordred growled in irritation before crossing her arms and gazing out the window.

The blonde knight had been tense ever since she'd donned her new uniform this morning. She'd probably been eager for a fight even if it was only with a normal human.

He sent a silent thanks to Tamamo. It seems she had calmed down from yesterday. At least she was calm enough to understand that Mordred picking a fight with the teacher would be a _bad_ thing.

After breaking up last night's catfight, he'd received a call from Yuuma, the fallen angel girl. They spoke for a while before she proposed that she walk him to school tomorrow. He'd agreed and told his servants as much. The rest of the evening was spent in an uncomfortable silence as Tamamo refused to speak with him.

Later that same evening he'd walked outside to see the fox-girl practicing random karate katas in the front yard.

"_First, strike the crotch! Next, REALLY strike the crotch! Repentance through __**CROTCH VIOLENCE**__!"_

Needless to say, he wasted no time retreating inside and barricading himself in the bathroom.

Issei was broken out of his musing by the teacher asking Mordred a question, to which the blonde answered with a smart ass reply. He sighed as he heard Tamamo muttering behind him.

It was going to be a long day.

* * *

Perhaps it hadn't been too bad, Issei mused. It seemed Rias had gotten Sona to agree in getting Ashiya hired. An hour or so after the start of classes, the white-haired man had walked in, claiming to be their new math teacher for the rest of the year. Thankfully, he'd ignored them for the majority of class, giving Mordred enough time to cool off and relax.

It was after school now and the three students were on their way to the Occult Research Club room to introduce Mordred to the others. Ashiya was currently at a staff meeting in order to get to know is co-workers, but he would be joining them later.

"We're here!" Issei called out as they stepped inside. The other club members were already there. They seemed to have been waiting for him.

"Ah, Issei-kun," Rias greeted him. "Just the person I wished to speak to." She glanced at the blonde girl beside him. "I see you've brought someone else with you. I presume she is another of your servants?"

"Yes," Issei nodded. "This is Molly Knight. She hails from England. She is my, uh, «Knight»." He finished sheepishly.

The crimson-haired beauty arched a single, delicate eyebrow. "Molly Knight, the «Knight»?" she questioned, her eyes sparkled with amusement. "I assume that is not her true name."

"Indeed it's not, princess," Mordred said dryly. "Believe me, I'd change it, but there'd be way too much bullshit involved."

Rias raised another eyebrow at her choice of words while the others looked shocked that such a tiny, delicate-looking girl would speak in such a brusque way. Looks truly could be deceiving.

"I see," the redhead nodded. "And may I ask what your true name is?"

Her peerage leaned in, eager to know the girl's true identity. After learning of Tamamo, they'd assumed that most of Issei's servants would be well known figures. They were correct in that respect, however…

"And just why should I tell you?"

Issei sighed as Rias looked startled. "Well, I…"

"Mordred-chan, be polite," Tamamo chided lightly. She smiled innocently as the blonde sent her an annoyed glare. "We're guests here, after all."

Rias' eyes widened in shock. "Mor… y-you don't mean…?"

The blonde drew herself to her full, unimpressive height. "Yes, I am Mordred Pendragon, son of King Arthur and knight of the Round Table." Even though she had to look down to meet the blonde's eyes, Rias still felt tiny in the presence of the legendary knight.

"Unbelievable…" the redhead muttered as she stared at Issei intently. "Tamamo-no-Mae, the Nine-tailed Fox and Mordred Pendragon, the Knight of Treachery… Who's next? Achilles? Heracles?"

Issei chuckled sheepishly. "No one that grand, I assure you." He held his hands up in surrender as both his servants suddenly scowled at him. "No offense, girls."

"Ara, ara," Akeno began, a confused smile on her face. "I was under the impression that Mordred was male…?"

"The legends got more than my gender incorrect," the blonde girl grunted.

"Oh?" Kiba asked curiously. "Like what?"

Issei smiled. "Let's just say that Uther never had any sons,"

It took several moments for those words to sink in. Rias was the first to realize what he meant. "Y-You mean that Arthur Pendragon, the Once and Future King was actually…?"

"Arturia Pendragon," he nodded. "She was forced to hide her true gender because having a woman on the throne would have been unacceptable during her time."

"I…I see," Rias said, regaining her composure. "Anyway, Issei-kun, there's something I'd like to speak with you about."

"Oh?"

"Yes," she continued. "Koneko has told me that you were walking to school with a fallen angel this morning. I'm curious as to why."

Issei sighed before gazing at her seriously. "Alright, senpai, I trust you'll keep what I'm about to tell you under wraps?" at her hesitant nod he continued. "Azazel is losing control over his subordinates."

"Excuse me?" was her shocked reply.

"You heard me," Issei nodded. "There is a new organization that has emerged sometime within the last few years. They've taken to calling themselves the 'Khaos Brigade'. Their leader is currently unknown, but they've still made quite a following."

"The good governor believes that one of his Grigori have sided with them," Tamamo continued. "Groups of fallen angels have been going rogue and we have been asked by Azazel to help determine who this traitor is."

"You're working with the fallen angels?" Rias asked, eyes narrowing.

"Tell me, princess," Mordred suddenly asked, her green eyes fierce. "Do you want to go to war?"

"What? Of course not."

"Because that's exactly what's going to happen if Azazel gets usurped," the blonde knight growled.

"Well perhaps not _exactly_," Issei admitted. "But the possibility is simply too high for us to ignore."

"I see," the crimson-haired girl seemed to deflate under their intense gazes. "And what do you intend to do with this girl?"

"Well, my hope is to earn her trust and have her slip information, knowingly or otherwise," he explained. "But I'm already suspicious of her actions. You know that they've been watching my workplace, correct?"

"Of course,"

"Azazel explained that the rogue angels have been kidnapping Sacred Gear users,"

"Ara, ara, that certainly can't be good," Akeno muttered.

"And at worst, they've turned up dead," Tamamo continued. This was the first time many of them had ever seen her look so serious. "And knowing this, we can deduce that someone working at WcDonalds possesses a Sacred Gear."

"When I first noticed we were being watched, I had one of my servants cast a tracking spell on my co-workers," Issei explained. He paused for a moment. "As a matter of fact, here he is now."

As he said this, the door opened and a white-haired man stepped in. "Pardon the intrusion." Ashiya said with a polite bow.

Issei stood. "Everyone this is Shirou Ashiya, my right hand," he introduced. "He's been with me since the beginning and is my most loyal and powerful servant."

'_His most powerful? S__o this is his __«Queen» then?' _Rias thought as she stood to meet him.

"Ah, Ashiya-sensei," Rias said as she and her peerage bowed to him in respect. "I hope you've found the school to your liking."

"Yes, the campus is beautiful," Ashiya nodded. "I believe you were discussing the fallen, Issei-sama?"

"Ah, yes, as I was saying," Issei continued. "I had Ashiya here cast a tracking charm on my co-workers. Then when Tamamo arrived, I asked her to weave her own enchantments that would allow us to know if, when and where they encounter a fallen angel."

"So far, our Master is the only person that has been approached," Tamamo reported.

"And when I parted ways with Yuuma-san this morning, I sent Chachazero to tail her," Issei nodded.

The silence that followed was suffocating.

"Er, Issei-sama," Ashiya questioned nervously. "Was that such a good idea?"

"I almost feel sorry for those people," Mordred muttered as she kicked her legs up on the table. "Almost."

"May their God have mercy on them, for she shall not," Tamamo said quietly, before flinching from the prayer.

"Oh, come on, guys," Issei complained. "You can't honestly…" he quieted as they simply stared at him pityingly. "Oh, God. I condemned them to death, didn't I?"

"Just what are you all talking about?" Rias demanded.

"Chachazero, she's my familiar," he explained tiredly. "She's a little… bloodthirsty."

His servants all snorted. "A little?" He merely sighed.

"I better call her back." Issei stood and placed one hand on top of the other, palms facing downward. On the tabletop, a complex magic circle appeared in a shower of blue light. Thankfully, the clubroom was charmed to conceal all supernatural activity from the outside world.

Rias' brow furrowed in thought as she stared at Issei's circle. She'd never seen that crest before. It seemed to depict… a ram's skull? She was broken out of her musing as something small began taking shape. Finally, the circle's light died down. The image they saw would forever be burned in their memories.

A green-haired doll resembling a marionette appeared before them. In her right hand was a meat cleaver the size of Koneko's head and in her left hand was a dagger bigger than her torso. Her entire body was covered in blood and was pointedly dripping all over the table. It was obviously not hers. The most disturbing image, however, were her eyes, for they lacked all emotion save sheer psychotic glee. Her tiny mouth was stretched into a shit-eating grin as she stared them all down.

"Aw, fun-time is over already?" the puppet asked in disappointment. "Eh, whatever. I was done anyway."

She took both knives and stabbed them into the table with a disturbing _clunk_.

"Zero…" Issei sighed tiredly. "Why…?"

"Why not?" she shrugged in reply. "Don't worry; your angel girlfriend is still alive. Can't say the same for all those exorcists under the church though. Must have been twenty of 'em, at least."

"Well, I suppose it could have been worse," Ashiya acknowledged. Rias and her peerage looked at him as though he were insane. Issei rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Did anyone see you?" he questioned.

"If they did, I guarantee they're not alive," the puppet answered as Ashiya cast a cleaning spell on her. She didn't bother to acknowledge him. "I followed angel-girl into the church and saw her meet with three other angels and some weird exorcist. The angels took off while the exorcist went down a hidden staircase underneath the altar."

"And this is where you killed all the exorcists?" Mordred questioned. Apparently Rias and the others were still trying to get over the fact that they were conversing with a psychotic, mass murderering, killer puppet.

"Yup," she nodded nonchalantly. "The weird exorcist that was talking to the angels was checking out some kind of sacrificial altar. He kept mumbling about some nun from Europe while giggling manically. He was my kinda guy, really, so I let him leave before I killed all his friends."

The puppet looked up at Rias, who was still gaping at her in shock. "Is she okay?"

Issei snapped his fingers in the girl's face, startling her. "Oh, uh, hello, I'm Rias Gremory, er, nice to meet you…"

"Oh, I know all about you," Chachazero said offhandedly. "I've followed you home a few times, to make sure you weren't a threat."

Rias went pale and swallowed nervously. Issei couldn't blame her. Knowing that you've been stalked by a serial killer was nerve racking to say the least.

"Well," he said, trying to break the tension. "I think that we've had enough excitement for one day."

He stood along with the rest of his servants and bowed politely. "Please don't be nervous about Chachazero, I guarantee your safety from her," he glared at the puppet as she jumped onto his shoulder. "Right?"

She rolled her eyes and huffed. "Yeah, yeah,"

Issei sighed but nodded. "We'll see you tomorrow, Rias-senpai."

"G-Goodbye, Issei-kun," Rias stammered as Ashiya summoned a transportation circle and the group of five teleported home.

* * *

**A/N: Alright, I think you've figured out that the first few chapters of this fic are going to go pretty slowly. Because I didn't want to dump all these new characters on you at once, I intend to do an introductory chapter for each new character followed by another chapter to move the plot along.**

**There will be two more characters introduced. Ashiya, Tamamo, Mordred and these two characters will form the core of Issei's group. That's not to say that more won't be introduced later on, but these five will be our basis for a while, as I don't want to overwhelm you with characters.**

* * *

**Fun fact: While in the fic, the girls all refer to Issei as 'Master', for flavor, they use different words that hold the same basic meaning.**

**For instance, Tamamo uses the word 'goshujin-sama' (****ご主人さま****)**** which is pretty much the Japanese phrase for 'Master' or 'Lord', but it can also translate into 'husband'. Maids in anime are notorious for using this word.**

**Mordred and Chachazero on the other hand use the English word 'Master' (Masutaa ****マスター****). This implies ownership, in a sense, but also can be used by an apprentice to a teacher.**

* * *

**Our Main Characters in Kanji/Hiragana/Katakana**

Hyoudou Issei/兵藤 一誠 / ひょうどう いっせい

Shirou Ashiya/四郎 芦屋 / しろう あしや

Chachazero/チャチャゼロ

Maeno Tamamo/前野 玉藻 / まえの たまも

Molly Knight/ モリー ナイト

* * *

**Another fun fact: Mordred's alias 'Molly' is pronounced 'Mori' in Japanese. This can also be seen as shorthand for her true name.**


	6. Chapter 6

"Issei-sama, something dire has come to my attention," Ashiya announced as their group met at the kotatsu. His face was severe as he stared them all down.

"What is it, Ashiya?" Issei asked. "Have the fallen made a move?"

"Strange, my seals haven't noticed anything," Tamamo mused.

"Whose ass are we kicking?" Mordred demanded, slamming a fist onto the table.

"No, it is something far worse, I'm afraid," the white-haired man said gravely. "I'm afraid that we've run out of food."

…

"Is that all, Ashiya?" Issei demanded in annoyance. "I'm sure we'll survive."

Ashiya suddenly stood and stormed over to the fridge, throwing it open.

"Then please explain, Issei-sama," he said bluntly. "How it is you intend to hold out until our next paycheck on nothing but konjac jelly, cucumbers and milk?"

The brown-haired boy deflated under his lieutenant's ire. "Well… it's not like we're _completely _broke, right?" he asked weakly. "I've still got some money left in my wallet… And I could always just grab some leftovers from work!"

Everyone glanced at the corner, where two large trash bags full of hamburger wrappers sat, as though mocking them.

"…We're gonna die, aren't we?" Tamamo wailed.

"Do you intend to live on hamburgers and fries until then?" Ashiya demanded, a vein popping on his head. "What is this _Supersize Me_? All that high-calorie, high-cholesterol food while you're young? I look forward to seeing you ten years from now! I just hope your lifestyle doesn't kill you before then! I'm sorry for my incompetence, but you're the one who said we should swallow our pride until-"

"Okay, I get it!" Issei cried, leaping out of his seat. "I'll figure something out! So just get off my back!" With that said, he stormed out the apartment.

As the door closed behind him, he let out a sigh and began walking in an attempt to clear his head.

There was just too much going on. What with the fallen angels, school, work and dealing with Rias' group. True, Ashiya had a more stable job now, but teachers didn't make much either, especially with four mouths to feed. Ugh, with Tamamo and Mordred, it was like having kids!

'_Did Ashiya and I just have our first fight?' _he shuddered at the thought and ignored the sudden urge to buy the white-haired man flowers in apology. He couldn't afford them anyway.

He passed by a restaurant, and saw an older woman shrieking at a teenage girl about some debt.

'_Poor girl,_' he thought. As he got closer, however, he realized something. '_Wait… I know her!'_

Walking over, he got a got a good look at her. Though she was kneeling in seiza position, he could tell she was short, a little shorter than Mordred. Whereas the blonde girl was lean and willowy, this girl was built sturdily, with powerful arms and legs that spoke of years of training. The girl had dark, fuchsia-colored hair and dark pink eyes, accentuated by black Egyptian-esque mascara. Her hair fell to her shoulders and was partially tied into a ponytail on the left side of her head.

Her attire consisted of a short, simple, off-white dress. She was barefoot, with only a pair of black leg wraps and a beautiful gold anklet covering her legs. On her wrists was a pair of intricate silver armguards depicting a bird.

Although a little dirty, she looked like a normal, attractive, high school girl. He knew better, of course.

"Hey!" he called as he approached the one-sided argument. The woman turned and sneered at him.

"Oho, are you the 'guardian' this girl spoke of?" she demanded. Issei raised an eyebrow at the girl in question, who didn't look at him.

"Indeed," he said after a while. "My name is Hyoudou Issei. May I ask why you are screaming at her?"

"She had the gall to eat here and leave without paying!" the woman shouted. Issei sighed before rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"I'm sorry," the brown-haired boy offered before taking out his wallet. "How much does she owe you?"

The woman replied by showing him the receipt.

"T-T-Ten thousand yen?!" Issei shrieked. He looked up at the restaurant. It wasn't _that_ fancy. "How much did you eat?!" he demanded. The girl flinched and looked away.

"Well?" the woman demanded. Issei swallowed.

"I-I'm sorry, I can't afford that." He bowed to her.

The woman sneered at him. "Why am I not surprised?" she growled. She glared down at the still kneeling girl before her. "Well, I can't let you just leave, can I?" her eyes roamed over the girl's armguards. "Well, those bracelets of yours certainly look nice. Perhaps I should take those as payment?"

The girl flinched, rubbing the ornaments nervously. The woman then spotted the gold anklet the girl wore. "Oh, that's a nice piece of jewelry you've got there."

The girl, who had remained silent until now, suddenly let out a squeak of fear. She looked up at the woman. "No…" She looked up at Issei, her pink eyes pleading with him.

The brown-haired boy sighed. He certainly knew why it was so important to her. He had been the one to give it to her, after all…

_A brown-haired boy sighed as he watched the sun slowly rise over the small desert village. He glanced behind him to see Alciel still asleep on the cot._

'_I wonder how long it will be before my power returns completely,' the former Demon King mused. He had modified his appearance somewhat. While he still possessed his forever messy hair, it was now brown in color. His eyes were also a dull brown. He had also modified his age, now in his late teens._

_He glanced at Alciel once more before deciding to head out for a stroll._

'_I can feel some of my power returning,' he thought. 'But nowhere near the power I once wielded. I'd wager I'm still around a strong low-class devil in terms of strength at the moment.'_

_He was broken out of his musing by the sound of heavy breathing and frantic footfalls. He quickly ducked behind a wooden stall that some merchant or other left behind and__ glanced out to see a small red-haired girl running as though her life depended on it. Well, running wasn't the proper word; she appeared to be stumbling about, really. Curious, he glanced at her legs._

_Iron shackles. She was a slave._

_Suddenly a black-haired boy came barreling around the corner, a torch in one hand and a scimitar in the other. The girl shrieked as the boy ruthlessly grabbed her by the hair and threw her to the ground._

"_Did you really think you could escape?" the boy sneered as he placed the scimitar at the girl's throat. "Remember this, girl, you __**belong**__ to me. You're a slave. You always will be, understand?"_

"_Please," the girl cried. "Someone… help…"_

_The boy burst out laughing. "No one's going to save you!" he cackled. "Even if someone were here, they couldn't do a damn thing about it! You're a slave. You have no rights. You're my possession__. An **object**."_

"_T-That's not true…" the girl whimpered. The boy spat in her face._

"_It is," he stood and kicked her in the ribs. The girl shrieked in pain as he continued his assault. "You. Understand. Now? No. One. Cares!"_

"_Excuse me," a voice suddenly called out. "But I care. I'd appreciate it if you stopped now."_

_The boy stopped and looked at the person who'd interrupted him. "Who the hell are you?" he hefted his sword. "Listen here, this girl is my slave. I have every right to do whatever the hell I want with her." He looked down and kicked the girl again for emphasis. _

_The Demon King glanced at the sword and scoffed. "Not anymore, because you're going to forget this girl ever existed. You're going to go home and have a nervous breakdown from the guilt of mistreating your slaves."_

_The boy looked at him, ready to retort, but his eyes suddenly glazed over as an overwhelming presence invaded his weak mind. Drooling slightly, the boy wandered off, leaving the devil alone with the girl._

"_W-What did you do to him?" the girl asked, wincing from the pain. The devil kneeled next to her, and lifted her into his arms. _

"_Just a little magic trick," he winked at her. He began walking off towards the ritzier part of town._

"_Where are you taking me?" the boy didn't answer as they eventually came upon a large, fancy building. He walked up to the door and barged in._

_A fat man sitting at a desk with a large pitcher of wine in front of him glanced up at the intruders._

"_Who the hell are you?" the fat man demanded. He glanced at the girl in his arms. "Isn't that Jamil's slave?"_

"_Not anymore," the devil said. He reached into his pocket and tossed a large sack of gold coins on the desk. "I'm purchasing her freedom, good lord." He smiled down at the now wide-eyed girl._

_He left the fat lord to swoon over the amount of gold he'd just been given. The sun was finally up in the sky and the town was coming to life once again. He spotted a jewelry merchant setting up shop nearby and walked over._

_Spotting a particularly intricate piece, he purchased it before taking the girl to a secluded alleyway._

_Gingerly lowering the girl to the ground, he kneeled before her and muttered a small spell. The shackles binding her legs shattered. The red-haired girl looked at her now unbound ankles in awe._

_She watched silently as the boy who had set her free gently rubbed the sores left by the shackles before clipping the beautiful anklet he'd bought in its place._

"_You're free now," he said softly, smiling at her warmly. "Those shackles weren't suited for someone as beautiful as you. This is much more appropriate, don't you think?"_

_The girl flushed in embarrassment. She lifted her left leg and examined the anklet as it gleamed in the early morning sunlight._

"_And you **are** beautiful," he continued, placing a hand on her head. "A very beautiful __**person**__. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."_

_The girl felt her eyes sting and the image of her savior began to blur. Desperate to keep him in sight, terrified that this was all just a cruel dream; she furiously rubbed the tears from her eyes._

"_It's okay to cry," the boy said softly. "Tell me, what's your name?"_

_The girl sniffed, still rubbing her eyes. "M-Morgiana."_

_The boy smiled warmly. "Well, Morgiana," he said, helping her to her feet. "I'll take care of you from now on. So don't you worry, okay?"_

_Morgiana looked up at him and for the first time since being sold into slavery… _

_She smiled._

Issei smiled slightly before bowing at the woman once more. "I'm deeply sorry," he said. "Perhaps I could work her dept off? I'd be more than happy to wash dishes or do some heavy lifting."

The woman glanced at him and Morgiana at his feet before grunting. "Fine. Walk around to the back. I don't want you disturbing customers, got it?"

The woman walked back inside. Issei looked down at the girl and helped her to her feet. "See, no sweat."

"Master, I apologize for this inconvenience," the girl immediately got back on the ground and groveled before him. "I will accept any punishment you deem appropriate."

Issei sighed as people passing by began to stare at them. "Stop, Morgiana," he said, lifting her once again. "Man, and to think you used to be so cute, too, running around screaming 'big brother, big brother!' Whatever happened to that?"

The red-haired girl flushed in embarrassment. "I just felt that it was inappropriate as I grew older."

Issei smiled and patted her head gently. "You'll always be my little sister."

Morgiana suddenly pouted at him and stomped her foot on the ground. A small crater was formed.

The brown-haired boy immediately backed off. Why was she suddenly angry?!

"Anyway, _Issei-_sama," she seemed to stress his name for some reason. "We'd better get to the back before the manager becomes even angrier."

Her master sighed before following.

* * *

Issei sighed once again as he led the way home. After a few hours, they'd finally managed to pay off Morgiana's food bill. He'd certainly had one hell of a time trying to explain how the tiny girl was able to lift entire _piles_ of crates by herself.

"We're back!" he called out as they entered the apartment.

"We?" Ashiya asked in confusion before he spotted the red-haired girl behind him. "Ah, Morgiana!"

"Morg-chan?" Tamamo questioned. "Ah, you're finally here!" she leapt from her seat and hugged the smaller girl happily.

"Bout time," Mordred grunted. "I figured she'd have been the first one here."

"Hello, Tamamo-nee-chan," the redhead greeted. "Hello, Mordred. Hello, Uncle Alciel."

"It's Ashiya now,"

Issei, however, was miffed. "Why does _he _still get the 'uncle' while I get nothing?!"

The others turned to him pityingly while the girl in question pouted once again.

"What?!"

"Anyway, Issei-sama," Ashiya began.

"Don't change the subject!"

The white-haired man ignored him. "I apologize for earlier today," he bowed. "I should not have placed the blame solely on you."

"Yeah, you're supposed to be his most resourceful general!" Tamamo cracked as she and Morgiana sat together at the kotatsu. "If anyone should be blamed, it's you!"

Ashiya sputtered indignantly. "B-But it wasn't _my_ fault either!" he exclaimed. "Besides the biggest money burner is Mordred buying gas for her bike!"

Everyone turned to the blonde, who just glared back at them, daring them to say something. They turned back to Ashiya.

"This isn't fair!" the white-haired man cried, tears streaming down his face. "Why couldn't I have been a beautiful girl?!"

…

…

…

"I never said that," Ashiya suddenly snapped, eyes glowing dangerously. "You didn't hear anything."

"Agreed."

"_Why couldn't I have been a beautiful girl?! Why couldn't I have been a beautiful girl?! Why couldn't I have been a beautiful girl?!"_

They all turned to see Chachazero holding a tape recorder, a shit-eating grin on her face.

"_Why couldn't I have been a beautiful girl?!"_

Ashiya slowly fell to his knees, despair evident on his face.

"WHY?!"

* * *

**A/N: Another servant appears! I pretty much summed up her past in the chapter, but I'll place another summary, for tradition's sake.**

**Morgiana – **_**(Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic) **__– Born somewhere within the vast Persian Empire to a tribe of renown hunter-warriors called the Fanalis, the tribe was well known for their bright red hair and eyes as well as their incredible physical strength. Morgiana was captured by slave traders at a young age and sold as the slave of a young lord named Jamil. This boy was known to be sadistic and mistreated his slaves on a daily basis. One day, Morgiana attempted to escape from her cruel master, but was quickly captured once again. Fortune seemed to shine upon her, however, as this incident was seen by the former King of Demons, who would later go by the name Hyoudou Issei. The Demon King purchased her freedom and promised to care for her until she could care for herself. As they traveled together throughout the Middle East, Issei trained her to utilize the great strength she'd been born with in order to protect herself. _

_Eventually, it came the time that she was old enough to care for herself. By this time, however, they'd simply grown too close to part ways, and so Issei asked the girl if she'd like to stay together as a family. She'd agreed, as she had long since forgotten where her true family was, and he was the closest thing she had._

_On that day, Issei reincarnated her into a devil and the two have remained together since. However, it seems that Morgiana has long since stopped seeing her master in a familial sense, but… something more._

* * *

**Fun Facts: Character height**

_**Issei: 175cm/ about 5'9**_

_**Ashiya: 183cm/ about 6'0**_

_**Tamamo: 163cm/ between 5'4 and 5'5**_

_**Mordred: 154cm/ about 5'1**_

_**Morgiana: 145cm/ about 4'9**_

_**Chachazero: 30cm/ about 1'0**_

_**Rias: 172cm/ about 5'8**_

_**Akeno: 167cm/ about 5'6**_

_**Yuuto: 172cm/ about 5'8**_

_**Koneko: 138cm/ between 4'6 and 4'7**_

_**Raynare: 164cm/ between 5'4 and 5'5**_

* * *

**Fun Fact 2: Character Age Apperance**

_**Issei: Looks 16-17**_

_**Ashiya: Looks 21-22**_

_**Tamamo: Looks 16-17**_

_**Mordred: Looks 15-16**_

_**Morgiana: Looks 14-15**_

* * *

**A/N2: Once again, if you wish to know what these new characters look like, check out my profile and use the links provided.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I wasn't sure whether to split this chapter into two or not. It's a bit longer than the other chapters, but I decided to keep it as it is.**

* * *

Issei resisted the urge to sigh as he glanced at his watch for the fifth time in the past twenty minutes. Honestly, was it so hard for someone to be on time?

'_Ah, well,' _he mused. '_It's not as though I've got anything else to do._'

As it was the weekend, their group was free for the next two days. Due to their financial situation, the girls had found it imperative to get jobs. Apparently Tamamo found one at a cosplay café downtown. Morgiana decided to make use of her physical strength at a construction site where they would pay her daily depending on how well she performed. Ashiya was taking the day off to catch up on the housework that had been building up over the week and Mordred was off extorting money from her gang.

And since WcDonalds was closed for renovations, he'd been left with nothing to do. Then thankfully, depending on how you looked at it, he'd received a call from one Amano Yuuma. The girl had asked if he was free and now here he was, leaning against a lamp post in the town square, waiting for his date to show up.

Issei took another glance at the plastic watch he'd gotten out of a cereal box. What? It wasn't as though he could afford a real one.

"Here, take a flyer," a voice spoke up. Issei glanced at the speaker. It was an older woman wearing some strange vampire cosplay. He looked over the flyer curiously. It was a magic circle, with the Gremory crest right smack-dab in the middle. He glanced up at the woman, who winked at him and gestured at the pamphlet once more before walking off.

Issei turned it over to see a message written in the devils' language.

'_Enjoy your date'_

Was she spying on him? Taking a closer look at the circle, he realized that it was a reverse summoning circle. It would allow him to instantly be transported to wherever it was keyed to. In this case, it was most likely the clubroom. They were especially useful for quick getaways.

'_Why, isn't she thoughtful,'_ he smirked slightly just as his date arrived.

"I'm sorry!" the girl exclaimed, bowing apologetically. "Were you waiting long?"

"Oh, no, just about half an hour, I'd say." Issei said easily. The girl looked startled at his bluntness before flushing slightly. "Anyway, let's get going, yeah?"

"Okay," Yuuma agreed. "Oh, Ise-kun? If it's not too much trouble, could we be back by sunset?"

"Sunset?" the brown-haired boy smirked at her. "But the best part takes place at night."

He watched in mild amusement as his words bounced around in her head, her face flushed red.

"W-What's that supposed to mean?!"

Issei looked back at her in faux-confusion. "Why, the parties of course!" he exclaimed. "I hear there's going to be a huge one downtown tonight."

He chuckled as the black-haired girl was left sputtering behind him. Meanwhile, said girl was having conflicting thoughts.

'_What the hell? He's not acting at all like I thought he would. Where's the meek, polite boy I've been watching for the past few weeks?'_

She took a good look at his attire. A dark leather jacket over a white tee and dark jeans. His hair was also uncharacteristically gelled. The girl had to admit, he looked good.

And when he led her around the corner, she was shocked even further.

"Hop on," he said, throwing a leg over a sleek red Suzuki Hayabusa GSX1300R. Issei smirked at her as he donned a pair of black shades.

It had taken a good three hours for him to convince Mordred to lend him 'her baby' as she put it. He'd only gotten her to agree after promising to go riding with her next time.

Now he had _two_ dates to worry about after this. One with Tamamo and one with Mordred. '_Lucky me,'_ Issei grumbled to himself, knowing full well that their finances would not survive such an assault.

"Is this _yours_?" the shocked girl asked. Issei responded by patting the spot behind him.

"Come on, princess," he grinned. "This is our first date. We gotta make it one to remember."

Yuuma hesitated before climbing on behind him and wrapping her arms around his waist. With a roar of the engine, the pair took off at breakneck speed.

He let out a laugh as the girl squeaked and tightened her grip on him.

'_This'll be fun,'_ Issei grinned.

* * *

"Thank you for your patronage!" Tamamo said, bowing politely at her customers' retreating back.

"Wow, you sure are popular, Tamamo-san!" a short brown-haired girl exclaimed.

The fox-girl grinned at her. "But of course," came her haughty reply. "Anyone would be eager to be served by one such as myself, Chiho-chan."

Tamamo was currently in her cosplay outfit, which consisted of a tight, black bodice with frilly gray endings and tied with bright yellow straps. The arms of her outfit were loose and allowed her free movement. A pair of black stockings covered her legs, leaving only the skin of her thighs exposed. Her dark blue hair ribbon had been replaced by a turquoise one and a small top hat perched perilously atop her head. The outfit left much of her cleavage exposed, which probably the biggest contributor to her popularity, her natural beauty and supernatural allure aside.

The girl she was currently speaking to was Sasaki Chiho, one of Issei's co-workers. She had short brown hair that fell to her chin and chocolate-colored eyes. Her hair sported two pink ribbons on either side of her head. Her outfit consisted of a dark blue blazer with a plaid ribbon tied at her neck and a short green skirt. She wore black knee-high socks and brown leather shoes.

But the biggest eye catcher was her… assets.

'_They're huge!' _Tamamo mentally raged. '_How does such a tiny girl have such huge breasts?!'_

Chiho, of course, was oblivious to the fox-girl's jealous ravings. "You look so mature!" the girl gushed. "Mou! I'm so jealous!"

The shops doorbell chimed, drawing the fox-girl's attention away from their chat.

"Welcome!" Tamamo exclaimed cheerfully, only for her face to drop upon seeing who just stepped in. "Oh, it's you."

"Thanks," Mordred said sarcastically.

"What do you want?" the fox asked in a bored tone. "No money, no service."

"I've got money!" the blonde retorted before snapping her fingers. Immediately a bald man in a leather jacket appeared, handing her a ten thousand yen note before bowing and dashing back out.

The other two girls stared after the retreating gang member before turning back to the smug blonde.

"A table for one," the knight demanded.

"I'm sorry; we seem to have run out of tables,"

"Like hell!"

"Please, miss; you're disturbing the other customers," Tamamo said calmly. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave,"

"Fuck you!" The blonde girl looked ready to summon her sword.

"Um, Tamamo-san?" Chiho asked meekly. "Please don't fight. I don't mind sharing my table with her, if she doesn't mind."

"Humph," Mordred grunted. "At least _some_ people have manners."

"You're one to talk," Tamamo growled before her phone let out a series of rings. Flipping it open, she read the message. "I see…" she murmured, closing her phone and taking out a notepad. "Alright Blondie, what do you want? The banana spit? The spit beer float? Or the spit parfait?"

Chiho slowly sank down into her seat as their argument intensified.

* * *

'_Where did it go wrong?' _Yuuma wondered as she rested her cheek against Issei's back. Or rather… why did it all go so _right_?

She had intended to spend a boring day with an equally boring boy. She'd was supposed to use every moment of boredom she'd suffered as motivation to kill him.

Instead she'd found herself following him all over the prefecture, bouncing from venue to venue. He'd taken her to every place she could have imagined and against all reasoning, she'd found herself having _fun _with him.

And that terrified her. Hyoudou Issei had to die. That was her assignment. It was the sole reason she'd asked him out in the first place. And here she was getting _attached_ to him. She _had _to kill him.

Unconsciously, her grip on his waist tightened. Issei raised an eyebrow.

"You okay?" he called back to her. She didn't reply for several moments.

"Yeah… I'm fine, it's just…" Whatever she was about to say was interrupted by the sound of several other motorcycles surrounding them.

"Oi, bastard!" one of the riders shouted over the wind. Issei vaguely recognized him as one of Mordred's biker gang members. "Aneki told us you had a date today!"

"She said not to worry about it," another shouted. "But we can't just let you off like that!"

"Isn't she enough for you?!" the first one, who appeared to be their leader, cried. "Die!"

"Oi, Yuuma!" Issei shouted. "Hold on tight!"

"What are you going to doooooooo~!" she shrieked as he suddenly accelerated. The others gave chase, but…

"Shit, he's pretty good!" one of them cried as he easily weaved through the evening traffic.

"Of course," another shouted back. "I'd expect nothing less from one of aneki's friends!"

"Stop admiring him and catch up to him!" the leader shouted. But by then he was too far ahead of them. He swerved around the corner, spotting his destination just ahead.

He vaguely heard Yuuma squeak behind him as he drove right over the edge of the highway and into the park some fifteen meters below, expertly positioning the bike to soften the impact. Immediately swerving behind a tree, he killed the engine and waited silently.

Only when sounds of their pursuers' engines faded in the distance did he allow himself to relax. He glanced at the still shocked Yuuma behind him and began chuckling.

The black-haired girl was broken out of her daze by the sound and looked up at his grinning face. Her face suddenly felt hot, but surely it was just from the humidity? She clutched at her chest, where she could feel her heart pounding furiously. Surely it was just from the excitement of the chase that had just ended? But as he smiled at her… she wasn't so sure. Slowly, she found herself laughing with him.

Issei helped her off the bike and propped it up against the tree. Taking her by the hand, he led her over to the fountain and plopped down. Yuuma sat down beside him.

"Well, here we are," he said. As she gave him a confused glance, he leaned in closer to her. "You wanted me to take you to the park at sunset, right? Did you have something you wanted to do here?"

Somehow, she seemed to flush and pale at the same time. "I-I…"

"Yes?" Issei asked, his smile warm. As she looked into his eyes, she seemed to hesitate even more.

"Would you…"

"Ah, wait. I almost forgot." He said with a sheepish grin before reaching into his pocket and bringing out a thin silver chain with a small heart dangling from it. "It's not much, but here." He took her hand and clipped it to her wrist.

"It's a charm bracelet," he explained. "I've had it for some time now, but I've never bothered to buy more charms for it. So I'll give it to you and I'll get you a new charm for every date we go on, alright?"

'_What a stupid gift… and yet…_'

"So, what was it you were going to say?" he asked with an easygoing smile.

"Would you take me on another date someday?"

Issei didn't get a chance to respond before she suddenly leaned forward, capturing his lips with her own. The kiss lasted for several moments. It was neither chaste nor passionate. It was hesitant, but sincere.

As they broke away, Issei smiled at her again. "You can count on it."

Yuuma graced him with a small smile of her own before stepping away from him. "I had a lot of fun today, Ise-kun," she said. "See you soon." And with that, she rushed away.

Issei watched her go, fully aware that he was being approached from behind. "Well, you sure seemed to enjoy that," Tamamo said dryly.

"I would be lying if I said I didn't," he admitted. He glanced at her outfit. "What are you wearing?"

Tamamo, who was still in her cosplay, did a little twirl. "You like? It's my work uniform."

"Can't say I don't," he said as Mordred walked over pushing her bike towards them. "You know what to do from here, right?"

The fox waved him off. "Yeah, yeah,"

"Take this," Issei handed her the reverse summoning circle Rias had given him. "Use it in an emergency."

Tamamo took the proffered pamphlet and gave him a mock salute.

_**Poof!**_

From the smoke, a pigeon flew out in the direction Yuuma had left. Issei watched it go as an engine revved up behind him.

"Where to, Master?" the blonde girl asked.

"The clubroom, please," he replied as he mounted the bike behind her. "If something happens, Tamamo will likely appear there. Plus, I believe Rias wishes to know how it went."

The blonde shrugged before slamming the gas.

* * *

Raynare glanced about nervously as she entered the church. Ever since the exorcists had been found dead beneath the altar, everyone had been on edge when coming and going. Except Freed. He would just squeal gleefully whenever the harsh scent of death washed over him.

He creeped her out, to be honest. She would have killed him herself if Dohnaseek hadn't insisted that they needed him.

"Well, how did it go?" a buxom woman with long, navy-blue hair asked. It was Calawarner, one of her fellow fallen angels.

"Did he squeal like a pig when you gutted him?" It was Mittelt, a younger angel with dirty blonde hair tied up in pigtails.

A tall, middle-aged man watched her reaction carefully and apparently found something unsatisfactory. "You didn't kill him." Dohnaseek accused. At her flinch, his suspicion was confirmed. "Why?"

The black-haired angel quickly composed herself. "We still don't know for sure whether he possesses the Sacred Gear or not," she said tersely. "I see no reason to kill anyone if they don't possess it."

"I don't believe it," Mittelt giggled. "Don't tell me you actually fell for that guy!"

"Like hell!" Raynare cried, though the blush on her face betrayed her. The others broke out into laughter.

"Listen, Ray," Calawarner began, wiping a tear from her eye. "He's just a human. You'll get over it sooner or later."

"Yeah," the blonde girl continued, still giggling. "Once we succeed in the plan, I'm sure Azazel-sama will be all over you."

Raynare smiled weakly before it slid into a frown. "Still, I don't think he's carrying the Gear…"

Dohnaseek heaved an exasperated sigh. "Well lucky you," he smirked. "Cause we've just confirmed it. He's not carrying it."

The black-haired girl visibly relaxed after hearing his words. "So… it's the girl, then?"

The sole male of their group grinned. "Sure is," he nodded. "I saw her at that new café that opened downtown. Unlike you, I'm not going to risk getting attached. I plan on dealing with her right now."

As he said this, a pair of black angel wings sprouted from his shoulders. "I'll be back late," he said as he took off out the window. "Don't wait up."

Unknown to them, a small pigeon had witnessed the entire conversation. With a look of worry, the bird disappeared in a flash of red light.

* * *

"Welcome back, Issei-kun," Rias greeted them as he and Mordred entered the clubroom. She and Akeno were the only ones there. Kiba and Koneko were likely off providing services.

"Ara, ara," Akeno said, her voice teasing. "I hear you were on a date, Issei-kun. How cruel to Tamamo-dono and Mordred-dono."

"I imagine they're already planning to pay me back in full," the brown-haired boy grumbled. He winced as the blonde girl elbowed him in the stomach.

"And how did your date go, Issei-kun?" Rias question curiously.

"Surprisingly well," he answered. "Though it was obvious she had been planning something, it seemed to fall apart as the date progressed. I saw the conflict in her eyes before she left."

"Ara, how romantic," the black-haired «Queen» said, placing a hand to her cheek. "A forbidden love, not that she knows it's forbidden…"

"Not quite as forbidden as you might think," Issei admitted. "You know the fallen angel Shemhazai?"

"He's one of the Grigori, isn't he?"

"The Vice Governor-General," he nodded. "He actually married a devil woman some time ago."

"You're kidding!" They looked shocked.

"I'm not," Issei smirked. "I don't know if she was a member of the Pillars, but Azazel informed me that she was indeed a devil."

"But, why would Azazel tell you, one of his enemies, this?" Akeno asked seriously. Issei raised an eyebrow. She seemed unusually hostile about this. Did she have something against fallen angels?

Perhaps that was a stupid question. All devils disliked angels, fallen or otherwise, on principle alone.

"Of the three factions' leaders, Azazel is the most peaceful," Issei explained. "At the end of the Great War, he and his Grigori were the first to retreat. He has been adamantly anti-war since then."

"Of course, not all the Grigori agreed with this," Mordred added from the couch she was plopped down on. She casually swung her legs as though she owned the place. "This is why we're currently trying to hunt down a traitor."

"And to be honest, I think I know who it is," Issei muttered.

"Really, who is it?" Rias asked but the boy shook his head.

"I'm not going to make any accusations," he said firmly. "Not until we've got proof. But I can tell you that during the War, one of Azazel's subordinates was particularly… vicious in his methods."

Rias looked like she wanted to say something, but was interrupted by a magic circle suddenly shimmering into existence.

"Tamamo has returned," Issei said, standing up. Mordred copied his action, her earlier relaxed attitude gone.

As the light faded, they saw the fox-girl with an unusually serious expression.

"They're making their move," she reported. "The male of their group is going after the true Sacred Gear user." She looked at Issei seriously. "He's going after Chiho."

The fox-girl suddenly clutched her chest, wide-eyed. "What's wrong?"

"They've made contact," she hissed. "We have to move now!"

Issei nodded. "Prepare for transport."

"We'll go with you," Rias offered. The boy didn't bother to reply; instead he had whipped out his phone.

"Ashiya," Issei barked when the other man picked up. "It's time. You know what to do." He hung up and turned to the others who had gathered around Tamamo. "Let's go."

* * *

In a flash of blue light, the group appeared in the residential area of the city. They immediately spotted a crumpled form on the floor. The smell of blood permeated through the air.

"Chiho!" Issei cried. He cradled her in his arms and felt her neck. Her pulse was weakening. "Tamamo!"

"I'm on it," the fox nodded. She paused. "Master, the angel is still in the area. You can probably catch him."

Issei glanced at Chiho still in his arms before nodding. "Alright, take care of her, Tamamo." He handed the prone girl over before standing. "Rias, Akeno, please assist Tamamo."

The redhead nodded. "Very well."

"Ara, ara," the black-haired girl said huskily. "So aggressive today, Issei-kun. But if you insist…"

Issei turned to the blonde girl beside him. "Mordred, go."

The knight nodded before crouching low and disappearing in a show of pure speed. The brown-haired boy glanced behind him once more before disappearing as well.

Tamamo returned her attention to the wounded girl in her arms before closing her eyes and beginning a healing ritual. Rias assisted her, channeling her own healing magic while Akeno set to cleaning up the blood that had splattered on the walls and sidewalk.

After several minutes, Tamamo opened her eyes. There was something wrong. "She's not responding," she said urgently. Rias' brow furrowed. She placed her fingers to the girl's neck.

"Her pulse is weakening still," the redhead muttered. "Is her body resisting the healing spell?"

"Damn it!" Tamamo growled. "Don't you _dare_ die on me, Chiho. I promised Master I'd take care of you and I _refuse_ to lie to my Master!"

"I have an idea," Rias said. Tamamo raised an eyebrow. The girl's voice sounded far too sly. "And I have a feeling you know what I'm saying."

"You want her," Tamamo said bluntly. Rias simply smiled. The fox glared at her, before sighing.

Rias obviously wanted to turn Chiho into a devil. While doing so would most likely assist in their healing, it would also turn the girl into her servant. While not ideal, Tamamo knew her master possessed no Evil Pieces, and he likely didn't want Rias knowing that he could reincarnate people without them. At least she knew Chiho would be serving under a kind master. The Gremory were well known for their great affection for their servants, after all.

"I suppose we have no choice, then," Tamamo sighed. She nodded at the redhead. "Do it."

* * *

_'That was way too easy_,' Dohnaseek mused to himself. _'I'll have to rub it in to Raynare when I get back. Next time, she can't get attached to the target.'_

However, in his musing, he failed to notice a figure approaching him at blinding speed until a searing pain surged through his back.

"Aaargh!" he grunted in agony as he was suddenly grounded. He looked back at his wings to see a long cut on both of them. Not enough to cause permanent damage but more than enough to keep him from flying.

"That was way too easy," a voice complained, unknowingly copying his earlier thoughts. He looked up to see a figure, completely encased in a suit of heavy red and silver armor. A horned helm obscured the knight's face, leaving him unable to tell his assailant's gender. "Hey, angel-boy, if it were up to me, you'd be dead already. But fortunately for you, we need you alive."

"Who the hell are you," he felt her aura. It was incredibly powerful. It was terrifying, actually. "Are you a devil?"

"Unfortunately, I'm not at liberty to discuss things with you," the figure said, placing its sword at his neck.

"That would be my job," another voice called out. Dohnaseek looked up to see the same boy Raynare had become smitten with approaching them.

"You!" he cried. "But you're just a human!"

"Appearances can be deceiving, _datenshi_-san," *

"And what the hell do you want with me?" Dohnaseek demanded. "We haven't done anything to you."

"Not to me, no," Issei admitted. "But you've brazenly attacked one of my friends, who happens to be a Sacred Gear user. I thought Azazel wanted to study them. Wouldn't killing them be detrimental to that?"

"We had orders to kill that girl," the downed angel growled. "Wait, why am I explaining myself to you?!" He flexed his fingers, wanting to summon a light spear, but the sword at his neck prevented him from doing anything.

"You're right," Issei chuckled. "You technically don't have to answer to me." He smirked. "But I know someone you _do _have to answer to."

The fallen angel sneered at him. "And who would that be?"

"That would be me, Dohnaseek," yet another voice called out. The older man paled upon hearing the voice.

They turned to see a magic circle appearing behind them. From within the circle, three figures emerged.

"A-Azazel-sama," Dohnaseek whimpered.

"Sorry for taking so long, Issei-sama," Ashiya said, bowing slightly. "But Morgiana asked that I come pick her up before you called me."

The redhead in question was currently gazing down at Dohnaseek emotionlessly.

"Sorry for being late," Azazel said cheerfully. "I was really surprised when Alciel suddenly showed up in my office. I almost attacked him, you know!"

"If you did, Morgiana would have kicked your face in," Issei said with a smirk. Azazel glanced at the tiny girl and shuddered. He knew firsthand how powerful her limbs were.

"Wait…" Dohnaseek whispered. "Did you say… Alciel? As in one of the great angel generals that followed Lucifer when he became a devil?"

"The very same," Azazel smiled as ten pure black wings appeared from Ashiya's back. Ashiya stared at the fallen man coldly.

Dohnaseek turned his terrified gaze towards Issei. "And you're his master?" he whimpered. "But Alciel only served one person! He's dead! You're supposed to be dead! _**Who the hell are you?!"**_

Issei chuckled before leaning down towards him. His eyes suddenly turned an electric blue. "Quite frankly, I'm your worst nightmare," he whispered as a truly demonic grin stretched across his face. An overwhelming force slammed against Dohnaseek's mind, causing his eyes to roll back and making him stammer incoherently as he blacked out.

There was silence for several moments before Azazel finally spoke up. "Well, I thank you for your cooperation," he nodded at Issei. "I'll be taking him into custody for interrogation."

"You should be aware that the other fallen angels still remain," Issei said, his eyes returning to their dull brown color. "This one acted independently tonight."

The Governor General nodded. "I'm aware of that," he replied. "They were to simply observe the Sacred Gear user, but it seems that whoever is giving them their orders deviated from mine."

"You know what she carries, don't you?" Issei accused. The Governor grinned at him cheekily.

"I do, but I'll let you figure it out!" he cackled.

"Hopefully we can get a name from this one," Ashiya remarked before Issei could retort. "Dohnaseek, his name was?"

Azazel nodded. "I'll send a message to the others here that Dohnaseek was recalled, to avoid questions about his disappearance."

"Have you heard anything about a nun from Europe coming here?" Issei asked. The Governor frowned thoughtfully.

"No, can't say I have," he admitted. "Why do you ask?"

"The others seem to have plans involving her," the brown-haired boy replied.

Azazel frowned. "I don't know anything about this," he muttered. "This traitor must be growing bolder. He's acting completely independent from me now."

"I'll keep an eye on them," Issei said. "I'll keep you informed if I learn anything."

"Thank you," the Governor nodded. He pointed at the unconscious Dohnaseek, who began levitating. Walking a short distance away, a magic circle appeared beneath them. "I'll leave it to you… You go by Issei now, right?"

The brown-haired boy nodded as the Governor-General disappeared in a flash of light.

With a small sigh, Issei turned to his gathered servants. "Well, let's go check on the others."

He had sensed a large infusion of devil-magic earlier. He already had a feeling of what'd happened.

As they rounded the corner, he was unsurprised to see Chiho still unconscious in Rias' arms. Tamamo immediately bowed to him as he came into sight.

"Master, I failed in healing her," she said shamefully. "Rias-hime had to reincarnate her. I apologize for this failure."

Issei chuckled slightly. "It's fine, Tamamo," he said easily. "Quite frankly, I already suspected Rias' intention when she asked to come with."

Rias grinned at him. "Sorry, Issei-kun," she said with a coy smile. "I'm a devil, greed is in my blood."

"I likely would have done the same, were I in your shoes," Issei nodded. "And what piece did she take?"

"I was quite shocked," Rias replied. "She actually took up all eight of my «Pawn» pieces."

Issei raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Her Sacred Gear must be incredible," he remarked. He put on a mock-frustrated expression. "And I just gave her to you!"

Rias giggled. "Sorry, first come, first serve," she teased. "Anyway, she's completely healed now. Normally a wound like that would take quite a while to heal, but Tamamo-san's healing ritual worked wonders."

Issei nodded. "Yes, she's quite talented," he said, causing the fox-girl to perk up at his praise. "You should probably get her home. I presume you already know where it is?"

The red-haired girl nodded. "I know the homes of all your co-workers," she admitted. "As a precaution."

"Then I'll leave it to you," he said as he nodded towards Ashiya. The white-haired man nodded and summoned a magic circle beneath them. "See you Monday, Rias-senpai, Akeno-senpai."

With that, the group of five disappeared in a flash of blue light.

* * *

"Man, what an exhausting day," Issei sighed as he plopped down at the kotatsu.

"It certainly was exciting wasn't it?" Ashiya sighed as he, too sat down.

"Not exciting enough," Mordred grunted. "That fallen angel was such a pansy. I need more action than that!"

"So long as it ends favorably, I'm fine with it," Issei shrugged.

"If Issei-sama is happy, I'm happy," Morgiana said quietly.

"Same here," Tamamo chimed in. "Ne, Master! I made a lot of money off tips today~"

"Oh, did you?" Issei smiled. The fox-girl grinned at him reaching into a pocket hidden in her sleeve and pulled out a wad of cash.

"Yup, fifteen thousand yen," she bragged. Issei patted her on the head.

"Great job," he said as Mordred scoffed.

"Please, I managed to get twenty five thousand,"

"Extortion is a criminal offense, Mordred-chan," the fox-girl taunted, though her glare was icy.

Issei pointedly ignored their impending argument. "And how did you do, Morgiana,"

The redhead looked at him before placing her pay on the table. The entire group froze as they stared at the _stack_ of ten thousand yen notes.

"H-How much is that?!" Mordred stammered. "I thought you were doing construction work!"

Morgiana shrugged. "I'm a hard worker."

Ashiya snorted. "I saw what she was doing," he said. "She single-handedly finished the construction."

"But all they had was the foundation this morning!" the blonde cried. Ashiya nodded.

"I know," He ignored her furious, incoherent muttering. "She even managed to get a contract with the supervisor."

"Morg-chan!" Tamamo embraced the redhead, tears rapidly falling down her face. "With this, we can go eat a decent meal at last!"

Morgiana awkwardly patted her on the back as the fox-girl sobbed all over her shoulder.

"Alright," Issei nodded. "In celebration, why don't we go out to eat tonight? What do you guys want?"

"Sukiyaki!" Tamamo cried. Issei looked at the others. Ashiya and Morgiana didn't mind and Mordred was still stammering incoherently.

"Alright, sukiyaki it is," he smiled.

As the group left to go eat, a certain puppet was left behind to wonder why she hadn't been invited to any of the day's events. The fact that she still reeked of exorcist blood was completely irrelevant.

* * *

***Datenshi means 'fallen angel' in Japanese.**

**A/N: Wow I think this was the furthest the plot has moved forward since this fic started! And this is the longest chapter too.**

**It's official, Raynare is in the harem. I don't know if I want Calawarner or Mittelt in as well, though. I'm actually thinking of pairing Calawarner with Ashiya. What do you think?**

**My profile is constantly updating as new characters appear. Be sure to check it out!**

**Also, I've set up a new poll on my profile, go vote for your favorite character!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: This chapter's ending has been rewritten.**

* * *

"Hello, my name is Sasaki Chiho," the brown-haired girl bowed to the class. "I've just transferred here from the nearby public school. Please take care of me."

'_Well, I suppose this was only to be expected,' _Issei mused as the brown-haired girl took a seat next to him.

"How are you, Chiho?" Issei asked quietly, to avoid the teacher's notice.

The shorter girl smiled at him hesitantly. "I'm okay," she replied, equally quiet. "Rias-senpai said she would explain everything today and got me transferred here this morning."

Issei nodded. "She asked me to take you to the clubroom after school," he told her. "You'll be meeting the others."

Chiho nodded in acceptance before turning to Tamamo and Mordred. "I didn't know you two went to this school, too!"

"I'm glad you'll be attending here, Chi-chan~" the fox-girl grinned. Mordred simply grunted and continued staring out the window.

As Chiho and Tamamo chatted quietly, Issei's mind turned towards Morgiana. She'd been enrolled as a first year and he was slightly worried about how she was being treated. He knew she could handle herself in a fight, but…

His gaze turned towards Masuda and Motohama. Just because those two happened to be in his class didn't mean there weren't other perverts out there. And if any of them tried to touch his super kawaii imouto…

His classmates suddenly scooted away from him as he began emitting an aura of death.

* * *

Back at the apartment, Chachazero suddenly felt like laughing; so she did.

So caught up in her laughter, she didn't notice the shadowy figure silently land behind her until it was too late.

* * *

"Well that was certainly entertaining," Mordred commented as she led the group towards the clubroom with a spring in her step. Issei trailed behind them, grumbling darkly.

"Why was I the only one that had to stand outside?" he grumbled. "Why didn't you do anything Tamamo?"

"I decided you needed the punishment," the fox-girl sniffed. "Siscon."

Issei actually tripped. "W-What did you call me?" he demanded. "I'm not a siscon!"

"Siscon," Mordred agreed. He glared at her.

"Humph," the brown-haired boy grunted.

"I didn't know Issei-san was a siscon…" Chiho muttered. "I'll have to shift my strategy…"

"You too, Chiho?!" Issei growled. "Is no one on my side?"

"I'm on your side," Morgiana spoke up. Issei smiled at her warmly. "…Onii-chan."

She finally called him her brother again… But then why couldn't he stop crying?

"Welcome back, Isse- are you okay?" Rias asked in concern as they stepped inside. It seemed everyone was here today. Even Ashiya was waiting for them.

"He'll be fine," the blonde-haired girl said offhandedly. Issei quietly sniffed behind her. "We brought your new pet."

Chiho stepped forward gazing at all the new faces nervously. "H-Hello, Rias-senpai," she said, bowing politely. "Thank you for enrolling me here."

The crimson-haired devil waved it off. "It was nothing," she smiled. "Now, Chiho, I believe you'd like some explanations."

The brown-haired girl nodded. "O-On Sunday, you mentioned something about… devils?"

Rias nodded. "Yes, Chiho," she said, unfurling her wings behind her. "I'm a devil, as is everyone in this room."

"E-Even Issei-san?" was her meek question. The brown-haired boy nodded, but didn't unfurl his wings.

"Indeed, I am, Chiho," Issei said. "The man who attacked you Saturday night was a being known as a fallen angel; angels that have fallen from grace due to their sins."

"But you should know, Chiho. When we tried to heal you, your body rejected the process for some reason."

The girl's eyes widened. "T-Then how am I still alive?"

"In order to save you, I had to reincarnate you into one of us," the crimson-haired princess replied, watching her reaction.

"So… I'm a devil now?" Chiho asked after several moments.

"You're taking this rather well," Rias noted. "Normally people panic when told they've become a demon."

The small girl smiled slightly. "W-Well, I figured if Issei-san is a devil, you can't be all bad," she answered sincerely. Said boy smiled at her.

"I see," Rias remarked, smirking at Issei.

"And you saved my life," the brown-haired girl bowed to her. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," the redhead nodded. "But, it came at a price. The moment I reincarnated you, you became my servant."

"So in exchange for my life, I have to serve you?" Chiho asked, her voice meek.

"You're actually quite lucky that Rias was the one to reincarnate you, Chi-chan," Issei told her gently. "Her family is well known for their extraordinary affection towards their servants."

"Yes, welcome to my family, Chiho," Rias said with a warm smile.

"T-Thank you," the brown-haired girl bowed. "I owe you my life. I'll do my best to live up to your expectations!"

"That's all I can ask you," Rias nodded. "Now, I believe it is time for introductions?"

Akeno stood and bowed to her. "I am Himejima Akeno."

Kiba smiled his 'prince smile' at her. "I'm Kiba Yuuto. Nice to meet you, Chiho-san."

"…Toujou Koneko." The white-haired girl nodded at her.

"They are all my servants," Rias explained. She gestured towards Issei. "And Issei-kun is another high-class devil. He is also in our club for convenience's sake."

Issei smiled at her. "Welcome, Chiho," he nodded. "I believe you've already met my servants, but we'll introduce ourselves again." He gestured towards Ashiya.

"Shirou Ashiya," the white-haired man nodded. "Nice to finally meet you, Chiho-san."

"H-Hello, Ashiya-sensei,"

"My name is Tamamo-no-Mae," the fox-girl winked. "But just call me Tamamo~"

"Y-You're _the _Tamamo-no-Mae?!" Chiho asked in shock.

"The one and only," Tamamo grinned. She patted Mordred on the shoulder. "This is Molly Knight, but you've probably heard about her under the name Mordred Pendragon."

The brown-haired girl's brow furrowed in thought. "Mordred…" she muttered. "I… think I've heard that name…?"

"Oops, guess not!" the fox grinned. The blonde girl growled at her.

"I don't believe any of you've met Morgiana here," Issei said quickly. The shorter girl bowed.

"Nice to meet you,"

Rias' brow furrowed. "Morgiana, huh?" she muttered. "No surname?"

"I believe I've heard of her," Kiba stated, though he looked unsure himself. "She was in _One Thousand and One Nights_. Specifically, the legend of Alibaba and the Forty Thieves."

"Ah, yes. She was a slave, if I recall the legend correctly," Rias nodded. Morgiana said nothing.

"She was indeed a slave," Issei interjected. "But she was freed long before meeting Alibaba."

"Alibaba-san was a good friend of mine," Morgiana spoke, her voice quiet. "He, Aladdin and I went on many adventures together."

"I see," Rias nodded. "So once again, the legend was distorted over time. I'm not surprised."

The crimson-haired girl stood from her desk and smiled. "Anyway, I welcome you to the Occult Research Club, Chiho-san, and Morgiana-san."

"Thank you," Chiho paused. "Er, Buchou? You said that Issei-san is a 'high-class devil'. What would that make me?"

"You, a newly reincarnated devil, are automatically low-class," Rias answered.

"If it makes you feel any better, you don't have to stay a low-class devil forever," Tamamo offered, seeing her dejected look. "With hard work you can be promoted to mid-class, high-class or even ultimate-class."

"What class are you, Tamamo-san?" Chiho asked curiously.

"Technically I'm still low-class," the fox-girl said. "But that's just because I've never bothered to take the promotion test."

"What?" Kiba looked shocked. "Why not?"

"Because I'm perfectly content with the way my life is now," Tamamo shrugged. "I serve my Master. Always have, always will."

"I have served Issei-sama since the beginning," Ashiya explained with a humble smile. "I have no need for titles or glory. I have dedicated my life to serving him and that is what I shall do until the day die."

"The same holds true for me," Morgiana added. "Issei-sama removed the chains that bound me and gave me wings."

Mordred grunted but nodded nonetheless. "I wouldn't mind seeing a little more action," she muttered. "But not once did I regret my choice in following him."

The others looked awed by their unflinching loyalty, causing Issei to rub the back of his head in embarrassment. "Anyway," he said, breaking the silence. "I think you should aim for becoming a high-class devil, Chiho."

"You really think I can do it?"

"I know you can," Issei nodded. Chiho looked up at him, a determined gleam in her eyes.

"Alright, I'll work hard at becoming a high-class devil!" the girl exclaimed. She paused. "Uh… how exactly do I do that?"

"Well, there are several ways," Rias began. "The first way is the easiest, but also takes the longest."

"It involves granting wishes and making contracts with humans," Akeno told her. "The number of contracts you hold proves your skill to the higher ups. Once they feel you've acquired enough, they allow you to take the promotion test."

"The second method is through military accomplishments," Ashiya said. "Doing great deeds during times of crisis will gain you a lot of respect."

"This is the fastest way, but since we are currently in a ceasefire with the other factions, this method is a lot less likely than it once was," Kiba explained.

"The final method is through Rating Games," Rias continued. "Rating Games are matches between two opposing peerages. A peerage is a group of servants headed by a high-class devil such as myself or Issei-kun. They've become a very popular way to settle disputes and are seen as a source of entertainment for others."

"…If you're good, you get promoted," Koneko said.

"Unfortunately, only mature devils can participate in Rating Games," Rias said. "I'm not yet of age, so that route is blocked. That leaves us with the first method."

"So I have to grant wishes?" Chiho asked. Rias nodded.

"More like providing service," she explained. "The client will tell you what they want, and if it is within your power to do so, you will grant their wish; for a price, that is. The price can be anything: money, items or favors owed to us. The goal is to form a contract with the clients and have them summon us repeatedly."

"What kind of wishes do you provide?"

"Well, I get less jobs than the others, given my higher ranking," Rias said. "My contracts usually involve examining cursed objects. Akeno's contracts are usually from executives of corporations. Kiba usually contracts older woman who have him cook and clean for them. Koneko's contracts usually ask her to play video games or do cosplay."

The brown-haired girl nodded. "And what about Issei-san?"

"I actually haven't had a contract in years," Issei admitted. "We've been traveling for so long; having long term contracts wasn't really an option."

"Understandable," Rias said. "Now, Chiho, there's more I wish to explain to you. Like I said earlier, the man that attacked you was a fallen angel."

"That's right," Chiho exclaimed. "You said something about factions?"

"That's right," Ashiya nodded. "In the beginning, there were only two factions: Heaven and Hell. Back then, there was open hostility between us, but no outright violence."

"That all changed when the original Lucifer fell from Heaven," Rias continued. "When he fell, he brought a third of the angels with him. However, Lucifer sought refuge in the Underworld and became a sort of devil/fallen angel hybrid."

"But many of the fallen angels still viewed the devils as enemies and refused to join Lucifer," Issei took over. "When Heaven demanded that they relinquish Lucifer, the leaders of Hell refused. Angered by the refusal, they attempted to take him back by force."

"And so sparked the Great War between our Three Factions," Rias said. "A war between the devils, angels and fallen angels. It lasted for eons and ended only recently with the deaths of our original leaders."

"Who were your original leaders?" Chiho asked.

"Their names were Leviathan, Mammon, Asmodeus, Belphegor, Beelzebub, Lucifer… and Satan."

"They were known as the Seven Princes of Hell," the crimson-haired girl said reverently. "…one for each 'deadly sin'. Lucifer was the last to join them under the sin of 'pride'."

"Each of them held unimaginable power," Akeno said, bowing her head. "But one stood above the rest…"

"Satan, Lord of Wrath, the King of Demons, The Devil himself," Rias was practically gushing at this point. Each of Issei's servants was smirking at him as he fidgeted uncomfortably. "He is said to have been the single most powerful devil to ever exist; that his power rivaled that of God Himself."

"But… if he was so powerful, how did he die?" Chiho asked, oblivious to Issei's discomfort.

"No one knows," Kiba said, shaking his head. "Some say that it took God's own might to strike him down. Others say he simply grew too powerful and destroyed himself."

"They never recovered a body," Akeno said. "So we have no idea what happened." Just then, a phone rang in the background and the black-haired girl excused herself to answer it.

"His death may have brought an end to the war, but it was a huge blow to our people," Rias continued solemnly. "We were left completely leaderless and at the mercy of our enemies. Only five of the original Maou had left behind decedents. They were Beelzebub, Leviathan, Asmodeus, Belphegor and Lucifer."

"Beelzebub, Leviathan, Asmodeus and Lucifer's descendents took control of the Underworld and wished to continue waging war against the other factions," Ashiya continued for her. "Belphegor's descendents were against further war and refused to get involved."

"They may have had the same blood," Rias scowled. "But they lacked the power and talent of their ancestors. Our people were decimated in the battles that followed. There were originally 72 great families among us known as the 72 Pillars. That number was reduced to a mere 34 during their rule."

"But by then, the other factions had taken heavy casualties as well," Issei stated, happy to be away from the subject of… well, him. "The fallen angels were the first to retreat, followed by the angels. That left the devils with a broken government to deal with."

"It was then that a civil war broke out," Rias stated. "The family of Belphegor gathered powerful individuals to oust the 'False Maou' as they were called. One of them was Ajuka Astaroth. He had invented an ingenious method of reincarnating other beings into devils in order to repopulate."

"The then current Maou rejected this idea, however," Kiba said. "They felt that reincarnating other beings into devils was a disgrace. They and their faction adamantly refused the plan. The Belphegor and their faction supported the plan."

"Roygun Belphegor, the current head of the family gathered four others," Rias continued. "Serafall Sitri, Ajuka Astaroth, Falbium Glasya-Labolas… and Sirzechs Gremory."

"G-Gremory?" Chiho asked in shock. Rias nodded, somewhat reluctantly.

"My brother," she said. "Anyway, Roygun's faction eventually defeated the Maou, with each of them fleeing into the human world. They haven't been heard of since they went into exile."

"Roygun had the chance to become ruler of the Underworld," Issei said. "But he turned the position down. He stated that it was time for a new generation to rise out of the ashes of the old." He smiled. "I couldn't agree more."

"And so, Roygun's four generals took up the mantle of Maou," Ashiya continued. "Becoming Serafall Leviathan, Ajuka Beelzebub, Falbium Asmodeus and Sirzechs Lucifer. And those four continue to lead a new, modern Underworld to this day."

"Wow, so your brother is a pretty amazing person, isn't he?" Chiho asked. Rias nodded.

"Yes," she said. "But anyway, we've digressed from what I wanted to tell you." The crimson-haired girl looked at her seriously. "Chiho, although we currently have a ceasefire between our factions, there are still skirmishes going on all the time. That fallen angel that attacked you is not the only one in this city. I need to train you to be capable of defending yourself. At least until one of us can get to you."

"S-So you want to teach me how to fight?" the brown-haired girl asked nervously.

"Well, then this is pretty good timing," Akeno's voice called out as she re-entered the room. "We've received a call from the Arch-Duke. We've got a stray devil."

"A stray, huh?" Rias mused. "This is good. Chiho. We're going on a hunt. I want you to watch us and get a feel for how we fight."

"R-Right now?!" Chiho squeaked. Rias nodded.

"Don't worry, I guarantee your safety," she reassured her. "Issei-kun, would you mind accompanying us? I believe she will feel more secure with you there."

"If you wish, senpai," Issei shrugged. Their group stood and began to gather around Akeno.

"Let's go," Rias ordered.

* * *

"What is a stray devil?" Chiho asked nervously as they appeared before an old, decrepit building on the edge of town.

"They are servant devils who have betrayed their masters," Kiba explained. "They break the laws set in place and leave on their own. That's why they are known as strays."

"This one is particularly wanted because she's been causing havoc in the human world," Akeno said. "She's been luring humans to this building and eating them."

"E-Eating them?!" the brown-haired girl squeaked.

Issei sighed. "I assume she's wanted dead or alive?"

"Indeed." Rias nodded as they entered the building. "Chiho, how much do you know about chess?"

"It's like shogi, isn't it?" Chiho asked.

"Yes, it's very similar," the redhead said. "The way we fight is based off the game of chess. As master, Issei-kun and I are the «King» of our respective peerages. Additionally, there is the «Queen», «Knight», «Bishop», «Rook», and «Pawn». As «King», Issei-kun and I can grant the attributes of these pieces to our servants."

"This technique is the very same method Ajuka invented," Issei explained. "It is known as the 'Evil Piece System'."

"Now, I want you to watch how we devils fight," Rias said. Suddenly Koneko tensed while Tamamo frowned.

"She's here," the white-haired girl announced.

"The smell of blood is overwhelming," the fox complained, covering her nose.

"What's this?" a voice called out. "There's something foul here… but I also smell something delicious… are you sweet or are you bitter?"

Out of the shadows, a nude woman's torso appeared before them. Her black hair fell to her chest, partially covering her breasts as her psychotic eyes stared them down.

"Stray devil, Vizor," Rias announced. "You have abandoned your master and let your powers run rampant. You will now face judgment. In the name of the House of Gremory, I will destroy you!"

"Impudent little brat, aren't you?" the woman sneered. "Shall I dye you red, like that hair of yours?"

Chiho let out a whimper. Issei patted her on the head. "Don't worry," he said. "Often times, their bark is worse than their bite."

"She looks pathetically weak," Mordred frowned. Tamamo nodded.

"Even I have to admit that," she agreed.

"You little pieces of shit!" the woman raged. The rest of her enormous, hideous body emerged from the shadows.

"A-A monster?!" Chiho squeaked as the woman began massaging her breasts. Issei's eyes narrowed.

"Ashiya," he commanded. The white-haired man nodded. Suddenly, magic circles appeared around Vizor's breasts and beams of energy burst forth, only to be met with Ashiya's barrier. They watched as the area around them began to melt as the energy touched it.

"She shoots acid from her tits?" Mordred asked, her voice deadpan.

"Definitely a monster!" Chiho exclaimed.

"Don't let your guard down," Rias advised her. "Now it's our turn. Yuuto!"

"Mordred, you're up." Issei nodded. The blonde girl let out a grin. "Don't destroy her in one attack. We're teaching Chiho."

The knight scowled. "Fine," she grunted as a majestic sword appeared in her hands.

The two blondes suddenly disappeared. "W-What happened?" the brown-haired girl asked. "They disappeared."

"That's just pure speed," Rias explained. "Mordred-san and Yuuto's position is «Knight». The «Knight»'s specialty is speed and melee weaponry."

"But their weakness is a low defense," Issei explained as Vizor's arms were sliced off. The blondes reappeared; Kiba with a smile and Mordred with a disappointed frown. "They can be overwhelmed by a powerful attack if they aren't careful."

"Koneko!" Rias ordered. Mordred patted Morgiana on the shoulder as she passed by.

"Your turn," the smaller girl nodded and stepped up with Koneko at her side. Vizor charged at them, her monstrous body ripped open, revealing a set of huge, jagged teeth.

"Watch out!" Chiho cried out. Morgiana nodded at Koneko before leaping aside as Vizor enveloped the white-haired girl in her jaws. "Koneko-san!"

"That's nothing," Rias said offhandedly. "It'll take more than that to harm Koneko."

Issei noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned to see one of Vizor's arms, which had been severed by Kiba and Mordred, crawling towards them.

Suddenly, a hail of kunai rained from the shadows, impaling it and pinning it to the ground. He smirked to himself before turning back towards the fight.

Apparently, Koneko had forced the monster's jaw open and threw it high into the air. Morgiana crouched low and leapt after it, leaving a crater in the ground. With a grunt, the small redhead kicked the monster into a pillar, causing it to crumple beneath her weight.

"Koneko is my «Rook»," Rias explained. "And I assume Morgiana-san is as well. Their power is simple, absolute strength and defense."

"Their greatest weakness is their low speed," Issei told her as the brown-haired girl gaped at the spectacle.

"But Morgiana-san is the fastest «Rook» I have ever seen," Rias said appreciatively. "It was remarkable, really. Next would be the «Bishop». Unfortunately, I don't have mine with me. Issei-kun, if you would?"

He nodded. "Tamamo?"

The fox-girl grinned, her ears and tail suddenly popping up. "Sure thing," she stepped towards the monster, who was struggling to get up. "Sorry, but I can't refuse my Master~"

With a lazy snap of her fingers, Vizor was enveloped in flames. The monster writhed in agony as the fire slowly grew in intensity. "Ara ara, is it my turn yet?" Akeno asked, placing a hand against her cheek. "I'm getting jealous."

"In a moment," Rias nodded before turning to Chiho. "Tamamo-san is Issei-kun's «Bishop». The «Bishop»'s strength lies in her magic. Since Tamamo-san is a kitsune, her specialty is in fire magic. Akeno."

"Ara, what should I do, I wonder?" the black-haired girl licked her lips.

"Akeno is my «Queen»," Rias explained. "And I believe Ashiya-sensei is Issei-kun's «Queen»."

Ashiya twitched at his newly assigned title. The girls grinned at him. Oh, they would never let him live this down…

"Like in chess, the «Queen» possesses all the attributes of the other pieces," Issei said, smirking at Ashiya as well. "This generally makes them the most powerful and balanced member of the peerage, bar the «King»."

Rias nodded as lightning began crackling around Akeno's fingertips. "And Akeno is indeed my most powerful servant," she said.

"Damn you…!" Vizor howled.

"Oh, you're still quite lively, aren't you?" the sadistic girl questioned. She raised her hands. "Then how about this?"

The monster howled in pain as the lightning struck. "She is «Queen», but magic is her specialty," Rias said as Akeno began breathing heavily from Vizor's screams of agony. "…and not only that, she is the ultimate sadist!"

"S-Scary…" Chiho muttered.

"Akeno, that's enough," Rias commanded. The lightning subsided and Akeno turned around.

"Oh, what a pity," she said in disappointment as Rias approached the downed stray.

"Do you have any last words?" the redhead asked.

"…Kill me…"

"Very well," Rias nodded. "In that case… Checkmate."

In a flash of red and black light, Vizor's body was destroyed, her howls of agony echoing throughout the building.

"Amazing…" Chiho uttered as the light subsided. Rias sighed before turning around.

"It's over," she smiled. "Why don't we head home?"

"Actually, our place isn't too far from here," Issei offered. "Why don't we head there? We'll treat you guys to dinner."

His servants looked at him as though he were insane. "Issei-sama, what are-"

"Relax," Issei said, a grin on his face. "I know what I'm doing."

"Very well, Issei-kun," the crimson-haired girl smiled. "Lead the way."

* * *

"So this is your home?" Rias asked as she and her servants stared at their rundown apartment. Issei grinned as his servants looked away in embarrassment.

"Sorry if it's a bit small," he chuckled.

"Issei-sama…!" Ashiya hissed. "How do you intend to feed this many people?"

"Simple, Ashiya," the brown-haired boy grinned. "Our missing member has finally arrived."

The white-haired man's eyes widened. "You mean-"

"Yo," a voice called out from above. They glanced up to see a girl, balancing easily atop a telephone line. The girl had long black hair, tied into a ponytail that reached her shoulders and dark, onyx-colored eyes.

"Ara, am I looking at a mirror?" Akeno questioned with a confused smile. She was right. Now looking at her for the first time in over a month, Issei saw the girl was indeed very similar to Akeno. But whereas the sadistic girl carried a constant serene expression, the new girl's gaze was aloof with her mouth forming a straight line.

She wore a loose, high-collared white shirt that highly resembled a kimono top. Though he couldn't see it, he knew that there was a red and white uchiwa fan emblazoned on the back. The shirt itself was open to her waist, revealing that her breasts had been tightly bound with white sarashi cloth and leaving the rest of her midriff exposed.

Around her waist was a dark blue cloth that reached from halfway up her stomach to her knees. Over this she wore a dark purple rope as a sort of belt. For her legs she wore a pair of tight black shorts with a pair of black leg warmers that left the skin of her thighs visible and a pair of thin black sandals.

The girl suddenly disappeared in a swirl of leaves and reappeared directly in front of Issei.

"Done gaping?" she questioned, a smirk on her face.

"Not yet, give me a few moments," he replied easily. The girl rolled her eyes and looked like she about to say something, but was interrupted.

"SUUUUUUZUUUUUKIIIIIIII-CHAAAAAAAAN!" Tamamo cried, capturing the taller girl in an embrace, sobbing all over her shoulder. "You're finally here! I'll never have to eat cucumbers again!"

"Oi, stupid fox!" the girl snapped, struggling against her. "Get off!"

Issei began prying the fox-girl off, smiling slightly. "Everyone, this is Uchiha Suzuki," he introduced the girl.

"**Kawarimi no Jutsu**!" she suddenly disappeared, a wooden log taking her place. Rias and her peerage stared at the log in shock. "Damn fox," Suzuki's voice grumbled as she stepped out of the shadows.

"She's a ninja," Issei nodded at their stunned appearance.

"A ninja…?" Rias muttered. "I've never heard her name before…"

"Of course you haven't," the black-haired girl scowled. "You think an assassin would go around spreading her name?"

"She also happens to be filthy rich!" Tamamo cheered. "Ne, Suzuki-chan! Let's go eat!"

"Finally, some real food," Mordred grumbled.

"Sorry to dump this on you, Suzuki," Issei said sheepishly. "Do you mind?" He began growing worried as she refused to look at him. "Suzuki, are you okay?"

"…yeah, that's no longer possible," she said after a while, still not looking at him.

"Huh?"

"After the… after the fox and I were separated, I got into a bit of… legal trouble," the black-haired girl began.

Issei paled. "L-Legal trouble?" he squeaked. "How much did you…?"

"Everything,"

"E-E-Everything?!" he shouted. His servants had all gone pale as well. "You lost everything?!"

"…if anything, I'm in debt." she still refused to look at him.

_Debt. __Debt._ _Debt._ _Debt. __Debt._ _Debt.__Debt.__Debt.__Debt.__Debt.__Debt.__Debt.__Debt.__Debt.__Debt.__Debt.__Debt.__Debt.__Debt.__Debt.__Debt.__Debt.__Debt.__Debt.__Debt.__Debt.__Debt.__Debt.__Debt.__Debt._

Issei slowly sank to his knees.

"Well, I hope you're all okay with cucumbers and milk," Ashiya said as he began leading the way towards the apartment.

"This is all _your_ fault!" Mordred snapped at Tamamo.

"Karma," Morgiana added.

The fox-girl simply collapsed to the ground, tears streaking her beautiful face. "**WWWWWWHHHHHHHYYYYYY**?!" she cried out her sorrow to the heavens above. "Is it because I ditched her?!"

The blonde girl growled at her, grabbing the hysterical fox by the collar and dragging her towards the apartment. Morgiana picked up their still motionless master and slung him over her shoulder, following after the blonde.

* * *

"Itadakimasu…" Everyone said unenthusiastically as Ashiya set their cucumbers on the table.

"Itadakimasu…" Tamamo muttered, though she made no move to eat. Her head was slumped onto the table. Issei hadn't even moved since Suzuki had informed them of her new… _their_ new financial status. Debt. Such a small word, yet it seemed so big.

"I wonder which body parts sell for the most…?" he muttered. "…Perhaps I have a use for Chachazero after all…"

"Now that you mention it, today as been remarkably pleasant," Ashiya remarked. "Where is she anyway?"

"Oh, her?" Suzuki shrugged. She stood and opened one of the cupboards. Everyone stared in shock at the green-haired puppet that sat, tightly bound by metallic wires. She glared at them all venomously, but said nothing, as her mouth was taped shut with duct tape.

"W-Wha… How…?!"

"Ah, that's right," Issei muttered. "Suzuki is the only person that can control Chachazero."

The black-haired girl raised an eyebrow as everyone bowed to her.

"We acknowledge this power." They said in eerie unison.

"Huh?"

In the cupboard, a still-bound Chachazero was thinking dark thoughts. All of them involving a certain black-haired ninja dying a horribly painful death.

* * *

**A/N: See? Told you I knew what I was doing!**

…

**Okay, I admit it. I completely made up half this chapter as I wrote it.**

* * *

**Uchiha Suzuki – (**_**Naruto) **__– Suzuki was born as the illegitimate child of ninjas Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Karin. The two were teammates as Sasuke traveled the country as a criminal along with two others. Karin was in love with Sasuke from the beginning and constantly sought to gain his affection. Sasuke did not feel the same way and chose to ignore her advances. Eventually, Karin, desperate for his attention, tricked Sasuke into getting drunk and slept with him._

_When Sasuke discovered this, he was enraged. He scorned the woman and left her, completely disregarding the possibility that she may be carrying his child. Heartbroken, Karin traveled alone and eventually gave birth to a baby girl. She raised the girl into childhood, but as the child's similarities with her father grew, she simply could not stand to be around her anymore. Karin left her child in a small village, alone and without a means to care for herself._

_She was eventually found by the man who would eventually call himself Hyoudou Issei. The girl had grown up as a thief in the slums of her town. He was impressed by her skill but pitied the reasons for which she used those skills. He offered her a chance to live a different life. She was wary of him, but accepted regardless._

_He unknowingly took her to her father's village, where they trained her in the way of the shinobi. She was labeled a prodigy by her teachers. But everyone was shocked when the girl activated her Sharingan, or 'Copy-wheel eye'. It was a genetic technique that allowed her to memorize anything she saw and copy any technique that she saw. It was a well known technique of the Uchiha clan._

_The Hokage, the leader of the village, recognized the girl's appearance as belonging to an old friend of his and asked that a paternity test be performed. It was confirmed. Suzuki was the daughter of Uchiha Sasuke, who had passed away in the last war._

_And so she inherited the Uchiha's assets, which included scrolls for every technique they'd accumulated in their library and a large fortune. She continued to hone her skills and became renown throughout their underground world as one of the most powerful and talented shinobi of her generation._

_But eventually, it came time for Issei to move on. Unwilling to part with the person who had completely changed her life, Suzuki demanded to go with him._

_He warned her that following him would be dangerous. She knew that her village would label her a criminal and hunt her down, but she didn't care. She secretly left the village with him, the entirety of the Uchiha fortune hidden away for her to retrieve later._

_And so she continued to follow him. The person who had given her a life. And a family._

* * *

**A/N: Definitely bullshat that last part. Remember to check out my profile for Suzuki reference, especially since she's a pseudo OC.**

**As for the polls, it seems Tamamo is in the lead with Mordred slowly catching up. If you haven't voted yet, please do! I added Suzuki as a choice as well.**


	9. Chapter 9

Issei sighed as he sat by himself in the local park. This morning, Suzuki informed them that she had to go speak with a lawyer. Understandably, no one was in the mood to go to school at this point. Only Ashiya had gone, seeing as he still had work. Morgiana had likewise gone to work at another construction site. They had a debt to pay off, after all. He sighed again.

Tamamo was still at home sulking and Mordred was off wreaking havoc with her gang, leaving Issei alone in his despair.

"Debt," he cried miserably, his face in his hands as he sobbed, drawing strange stares from several people passing by.

"Mommy?"

"Don't look, sweetie," the mother hushed as Issei howled once more.

The brown-haired boy sniffed as he heard someone squeak followed by a loud thud. What he saw immediately snapped him out of his funk.

It was a blonde girl, with bright green eyes. A suitcase filled with her belongings lay at her side, its contents spilling out all over the sidewalk. Apparently she had tripped over herself, giving him a generous view of her white panties. But that's not what caught his attention.

She was a nun.

'_So this is the nun from Europe?' _Issei thought, watching the girl as she slowly sat up. With a small sigh he walked over.

"Owowow," the girl croaked. "How did I manage to trip over my own two feet?"

"Are you okay, Sister?" he asked, offering his hand. The blonde nun took it gratefully and he lifted her up.

"Oh, you speak Italian?" she asked in surprise. Issei nodded.

"I assumed you knew at least a bit of Italian," he replied easily. "Being a part of the clergy and all."

She looked relieved. "Oh, thank the Lord," she said with a smile. Her eyes were filled with an almost child-like innocence. "I've been so lost ever since I arrived in this country. I'm afraid I can't speak Japanese very well. It must have been His will that we met today!"

"Perhaps," he said neutrally. "Are you on your way to the church?"

The blonde girl nodded. "Yes, but as you can see, I haven't had much luck," she smiled at him sheepishly.

"I could take you, if you want," Issei offered. The girl beamed at him.

"Could you really?" she asked eagerly. "That would wonderful!"

Issei nodded. "Alright," he paused. "By the way, I never got your name. I'm Hyoudou Issei."

The blonde girl blushed. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed. "I'm Asia Argento."

The brown-haired boy smiled. "Nice to meet you, Asia."

"Please take care of me, Issei-san!" Asia bowed as he picked up her suitcase and slung it over his shoulder.

"Well, let's go,"

* * *

Yuuma slowly entered the church. It had been several days since Dohnaseek killed the Sacred Gear girl and suddenly disappeared. They'd been suspicious until Azazel-sama sent a message that he'd assigned the man to a different area.

But still, now they were one person down. And in an area infested by devils, having Dohnaseek gone put them at a disadvantage. Hopefully that excommunicated nun would arrive here soon. They needed her power more than ever.

She remembered the day they'd been informed of their mission. They'd been told that they would be testing a new ritual that would allow them to transfer a Sacred Gear from a human to one of their own. While, it was unfortunate that they had to sacrifice the human, they'd been told it would be for the greater good of their faction and that the one to successfully perform the ritual would be lauded as a hero by Azazel-sama.

She'd immediately volunteered to be the one to administer the ritual. She'd been infatuated by their leader since the day she fell. Her comrades teased her about it endlessly, but she didn't care. This was finally her chance to prove herself to Azazel-sama…

But as she sat at one of the pews, she felt her drive… muted. Sure, she would still be lauded as a hero of her faction, but… she found herself caring less about the attention she would receive.

"It's because of _him_," she muttered to herself. It was because of Hyoudou Issei. That charming, albiet somewhat dorky, boy who had inexplicably wormed his way into her heart. Of course Calawarner and Mittelt had shown no mercy in teasing her about him.

She hadn't had a chance to see him since their last date, which she was both relieved and disappointed about. She'd used the past few days to sort out her feelings. Yuuma accepted that yes, she did indeed care for him. She didn't quite love him yet, but it was getting there; quickly.

Thinking about his dorky grin made her face flush and her thoughts began to drift. The way his eyes lit up whenever he was amused. The way his hair flowed in the wind… the way his muscles rippled as he maneuvered his bike… Her hands trailing up his perfectly toned chest… She unconciously licked her lips.

"Hey, look who just came," a voice remarked.

"I swear I didn't!" the black-haired angel squeaked, her thoughts running wild.

Calawarner raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Oh, thinking of your new beau?"

"Stuff it!" Yuuma snapped as she tried to compose herself. "As if I would be thinking of someone like him!"

She may have accepted her feelings in her heart, but she was still vehemently denying it to anyone who asked.

Mittelt let out a giggle. "Oh? That's too bad." She turned towards the entryway. "You hear that, Hyoudou-san? Looks like Yuuma-chan here doesn't like you anymore! Maybe you should ask me out instead~"

The black-haired angel's eyes widened as she spun around. He was indeed standing there, smirking slightly as he stood next to a blonde-haired girl.

"I-Ise-kun!" she exclaimed, her face going red. "What are you doing here?!"

"I was just escorting Asia-san here," the brown-haired boy said, putting on a hurt expression while ignoring the uncomfortable sensation the church gave off. "I'm hurt Yuuma-chan. I really thought we had something together." He heaved a sigh and turned to walk away. "But… if you really feel that way…"

"No, wait!" Yuuma squeaked, rushing towards him. She ignored Calawarner and Mittelt, who both guffawed at her reaction. "I didn't mean that, I-"

Issei chuckled, patting her on the head. "I was kidding, Yuuma," he said with a grin. "Lighten up."

The girl scowled at him. "You shouldn't toy with a girl's feelings, Ise-kun,"

Meanwhile, Mittelt was finally regaining her breath. "O-Oh, wow!" she giggled. "I can't believe you actually fell for that! You were blustering about like a school-girl!"

Issei raised an eyebrow. "Oh, but isn't she a school-girl?"

The blonde paled as Yuuma sent her a venomous glare for her slip up. "O-Of course," she squeaked. "It was just an expression. A-Anyway, I'm Mittelt. Yuuma-chan has told us a lot about you. This is Calawarner. We're from abroad."

The older woman merely nodded at him in acknowledgement.

"I'm Hyoudou Issei," the boy nodded. "But I'm afraid I know nothing of you two."

"Aw, but I thought we were friends, Yuuma-chan," Calawarner smirked. The glare the black-haired girl sent her clearly said 'shut up'.

"Anyway, Ise-kun," Yuuma said, drawing his attention away from the others. "Thank you for bringing Asia here."

"So, you work here, Yuuma?" he asked casually. The girl hesitated before nodding.

"Yes, I live here, actually," she explained. She paused. "Ne, Ise-kun. Are you free today?"

The brown-haired boy froze. "Er," he muttered. He really hoped she didn't want to go on another date. "I actually agreed to show Asia-san around town today."

The black-haired girl paused. "I see…" she said, glancing at the shy blonde at his side. "Would you mind if I went with you?"

"N-Not at all!" the nun squeaked. She bowed to her. "Just let me set my things down and we can go!"

Issei nodded as the blonde girl quickly followed after Calawarner, who volunteered to show her to her room.

'_I should have known something like this would happen,' _he silently cried to himself, knowing that his wallet would be significantly lighter after today.

* * *

"Ne, Ise-kun," Yuuma began as the group of three sat in a booth at WcDonalds. Asia had stated that she'd never had a hamburger before and Issei had offered to take them there. The manager didn't question his sudden appearance; merely eyeing the two girls and grinning at him, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Yes, Yuuma?" he asked with a smile. '_Thank goodness I get free food here. I'm such a genius!'_

He mentally gave himself a pat on the back, along with blow-horns and streamers. So caught up in his internal celebration, he nearly missed the girl's question. "Shouldn't you be in school right now?"

Asia gasped. "Issei-san, are you ditching?" she asked in horror. The brown-haired boy started slightly before composing himself.

"Shouldn't you be as well, Yuuma?" he asked, smirking as the fallen angel flinched.

"Uh," she uttered, fidgeting awkwardly. "I won't tell if you won't…?"

"That's no good!" Asia cried out, startling both of them. "You should attend school!" she suddenly had a sad gleam in her eye. "I grew up in the church and was kept isolated from kids my age since I was young." The blonde girl looked up at them with her wide, innocent eyes. "You should enjoy yourself at school. Promise me you will?"

Issei looked at her in surprise and even Yuuma looked shocked at her sudden intensity. "You've never really known anything outside the church, have you?" he asked sympathetically. The black-haired girl beside him remained silent.

The blonde nun shook her head. "No, I haven't," she admitted. She smiled at him. "I've never had friends my own age. That's why I was so happy when you offered to show me around, Issei-san. All the things I've seen since coming here have been so amazing. Thank you, Issei-san. I can only wonder if this is what it would have been like to have friends?"

"What do you mean 'wonder'?" Issei smiled at her. "We _are_ friends." He nudged Yuuma. "Right, Yuuma-chan?"

The black-haired girl looked at him, startled. "R-Right…" she muttered quietly, not looking at them.

Asia looked stunned. "Y-You mean it…?" she asked, tears welling in her eyes. Yuuma noticeably flinched as she spotted the tears.

Issei nodded; a new determination in his eyes. "Yeah," he smiled. "Come on. We'll show you how normal people have fun with friends."

The blonde nun wiped her eyes and smiled at them brilliantly. Issei couldn't help but smile back. And unknown to him, a small smile had found its way on Yuuma's face as well.

* * *

"Thank you so much for today, Issei-san!" Asia bowed to him as they stood outside the church. He and Yuuma had taken her all over town. She really was incredibly innocent; 'oohing' and 'ahing' at the most mundane of things. Issei had to admit he'd grown fond of her in the short time since they'd met.

Though she was reluctant to spend time with the blonde at first, he could tell Yuuma had taken a shine to her as well. By the end of the day the black-haired girl had taken to dragging the blonde girl by the hand and calling her 'Asia-chan'.

Now that they were back at the church, however, Yuuma seemed hesitant once again. "It was no problem, Asia," he smiled at her. "We'll hang out again soon, I promise."

The blonde girl smiled her radiant smile and ducked inside the church. "Hey, Yuuma," he began, snapping the black-haired girl out of her thoughts. "She's really sweet, don't you think?"

"Y-Yeah, I guess," she muttered.

"Take care of her," Issei requested. Yuuma looked at him in alarm.

"Eh?"

"She needs a friend," he explained. Issei glanced back at Asia, who was eagerly telling a surprised Mittelt about her day. "Did you see how happy she was today? All from doing things that other people take for granted every day."

"Ise-kun?"

He looked at her seriously. "She must have lived an incredibility isolated life," he said. "I want to preserve that smile. You understand, too, don't you? I saw the way you looked at her today. I ask that you take care of her and be her friend."

"But…" She trailed off as he took her hand.

"Please," he said, staring into her eyes. "If not for her, then for me?"

'_Why does he do this to me?!' _the girl mentally cried as her face flushed. "A-Alright," Issei smiled at her.

"Thank you," he smirked and kissed her on the cheek. He pulled away to see her face had gone completely red. "What do you say? Next time we go out, it'll be just the two of us." He glanced at his watch. "I gotta go. I'll see you soon."

She watched him go until he disappeared over the hill. "You shouldn't make promises you can't keep," Calawarner said from behind her. Yuuma turned to see the older woman leaning against the door frame.

The black-haired girl glared at her. "Where's Asia?"

"In her room," Yuuma didn't say anything as she brushed passed her. "You're too young, Ray…" she said softly with a small sigh. "You can't keep getting attached. You'll only end up getting hurt."

The black-haired girl didn't respond and rounded the corner towards the living quarters, Calawarner staring after her.

'_I'm worried about you, Ray,'_

* * *

"I'm home," Issei called out as he took off his shoes. He heard the sounds of an argument and debated leaving for a moment before finally stepping inside. His servants were all gathered around the kotatsu with a smartly dressed man with black hair. Wait a moment… that wasn't the kotatsu!

"What's going on here?" he asked, causing the room to go silent. "And who is this?"

The man stood and bowed to him. "Hello, you must be Hyoudou Issei-san," he began. "I am Uchiha-san's attorney. My name is Wright, Phoenix Wright."

"Nice to meet you, Wright-san,"

"Just call me Phoenix," the man offered. Issei nodded.

"Very well, Phoenix," he said, still staring at the not-kotatsu. "And what happened to our table?"

The lawyer flinched. "Er, actually, a repo-man came by and repossessed it,"

"O-Our table has been repossessed?" Issei sputtered. "And just what the hell is that?"

"I had a feeling something like this would happen, Issei-sama," Ashiya nodded sagely. "So I managed to secure us a cardboard box as a replacement."

"…A… cardboard box…?" Issei repeated, still trying to get over the fact that their table had been repossessed and they were currently sitting around a _cardboard box_.

"Indeed," Ashiya said. "High quality, too." He even patted it for emphasis.

It collapsed.

Issei slowly sank to the floor. They watched as he curled up in a fetal position, muttering incoherently. Though they managed to pick out words like 'organs' and 'homicide'.

Chachazero might have commented. If she wasn't still stuck in the cupboard, bound and gagged.

* * *

_**A/N: **__**This chapter was surprisingly easy to write, even if it's shorter than the last two.**_

* * *

**Fun Facts: Order from Oldest to Youngest**

**1. Issei**

**2. Ashiya**

**3. Tamamo**

**4. Morgiana**

**5. Mordred**

**6. Suzuki**


	10. Chapter 10

******IMPORTANT!**

**A/N: For whatever reason, the site didn't send out email updates when I posted the real chapter 9. Make sure you read that first. This is chapter 10.**

* * *

Issei almost had to physically restrain himself from strangling the man sitting across from him. Honestly, how could a single person ever be so… so… _bullheaded_?!

"And _I'm_ telling _you_," the brown-haired boy growled. "That _Dragon Ball _can never hope to compare to the sheer masterpiece that is _Neon Genesis Evangelion_!"

"Oh, please," their client, Morisawa scoffed as Chiho shuffled awkwardly in between them. "Just look at the main character! How could anyone like an anime where the main character is a little wimp?"

"And how could anyone possibly enjoy a main character that is completely overpowered?!" Issei demanded. He could vaguely feel a sense of irony here somewhere but he ignored it.

Earlier this evening, Rias had asked Chiho to go forge her first contract. The brown-haired girl had been understandably nervous and asked if Issei could accompany her. Rias had agreed and now here he was arguing with some otaku/hikikomori over which anime was better.

He'd originally asked Chiho to cosplay for him, but the girl was simply too embarrassed to do so, so Issei distracted him by commenting on his anime collection. That turned out to be a mistake. The two devils had arrived here in the afternoon and their argument had gone well into the evening.

Honestly, he had way too much to deal with right now with their debt and the fallen angels. At least Phoenix had promised to help them get their money back. Or at the very least get their kotatsu returned to them. But now he had to deal with this shit!

"Alright, we'll settle this once and for all!" Issei shouted. Morisawa nodded at him and the two turned to Chiho, who let out a small '_eep'_.

"Chiho-san!" the older man exclaimed. "Which do you think is better?"

"Eh?" the brown-haired girl squeaked. "W-Well, I actually like _Sailor Moon_ more than either of them…"

"Oh, you did _**not **_just go there!"

* * *

"So you didn't get a contract?" Rias asked, raising an eyebrow. The two devils bowed to her in embarrassment.

"Sorry," Issei apologized. "It was my fault."

"Well, it does say here that he had a lot of fun with you, Issei-kun," the crimson-haired beauty remarked as she read Morisawa's review. "He says he'd like to meet up with you again."

"Is that so…?" Issei chuckled sheepishly as Chiho looked even more dejected than before. "Sorry, Chi-chan."

"Well, Chiho, would you like to try again?" Rias offered. "We have another request if you're interested."

The brown-haired girl nodded. "Yes, Buchou!" she exclaimed, a determined look in her eye. "I'll even go by myself this time!"

"You sure, Chiho?" Issei asked. She nodded once again. "Alright, I'll prepare a circle for you to use."

"Alright Chiho," Rias nodded. "Do your best to get a contract this time."

"Yes, Buchou!" They watched as the girl stepped into the circle and disappeared. The crimson-haired beauty turned to him.

"So, what's this I hear about repossession?" she asked, amusement dancing in her eyes.

* * *

"I'm so sorry!" the brown-haired girl bowed.

"So you still didn't get a contract?" Chiho flushed in embarrassment.

"He wanted me to turn him into a magical girl," she admitted. "I couldn't do that so I ended up having to watch magical girl anime with him instead."

"I'm beginning to think you're a magnet for strange people, Chi-chan." Issei said from the corner where he was still sulking from Rias' earlier comment.

"But I don't want to attract strange people!" the girl cried. She began muttering to herself. "I want to attract Issei-san…"

"Did you say something?"

"Nothing!" Rias sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"Well, we've got one more contract for today," she said after a while. "Do you want to give it one last shot?"

"Y-Yes!" the girl exclaimed. "I promise, I'll get a contract this time!"

"Please do," Rias nodded. Issei stood and summoned a transportation circle.

"Good luck, Chiho," he smiled as she disappeared.

* * *

Chiho appeared before her destination in a flash of light. '_Strange,' _she thought to herself. '_Last time I appeared directly inside the house.'_

"Oh, well," she muttered, clenching her fist. "I'll definitely get a contract this time!" The brown-haired girl took determined strides as she approached the client's place of residence. "Hello?" she called out at the door. There was no answer.

Chiho twisted the doorknob. "It's open?" she questioned. "Hello…? I'm a devil sent by the Gremory! I'm here to…!"

She froze as a cold chill rode up her spine. Her skin began to prickle, as though the temperature had just dropped considerably.

"W-What was that?" the girl whispered. She looked into the dark hallway. There was a faint light in the living room, likely from candles. "Hello?"

There was once again no answer. She was tempted to just leave, but the image of Rias' disappointed face kept her from doing so.

"I won't let her down," she whispered. "And I won't let Issei-san down either!" She took off her shoes and stepped inside. "I'm coming in!"

Stepping into the candlelit living room, she glanced about. "Hello, where are…!" she let out a squeak as she felt her foot step in something warm and wet. "What is this…?" she rubbed the liquid off her foot. It was red.

It was then that the heavy, metallic scent of blood washed over her, nearly causing her to vomit. Chiho looked up to see her client, crucified to the wall.

"Sinners must be punished." A male voice called out from her left. She spun around to see a white-haired man with red eyes sitting on the couch. The man sent her a psychotic grin. "Well, like my handywork?"

"Y-You did this?!" she gasped. He giggled.

"Well, if it isn't a little devil girl!" the priest exclaimed. "Wow, what a treat!" he performed an exaggerated bow. "My name is Freed Sellzen. I'm a holy priest performing exorcisms for mankind!"

"Y-You're a priest?" Chiho stuttered fearfully. He smirked at her cruelly.

"Well, I'm certainly not a shitty little devil like you," he cackled.

"Why did you hurt him?!" the girl demanded, backing away as he took a step towards her. "He didn't do anything!"

"He tried to summon a devil," Freed said offhandedly. "And since you're here, I'd say he succeeded. That's more than enough cause to kill him." He looked at her with his insane eyes. "To destroy a shitty devil's face in the shittiest of ways…" he drew a sword in his right hand and a pistol in his left. "Is my job... but…"

Chiho shuddered as his eyes roamed over her body. "You're a cute one, aren't you?" he asked lustfully. "I think I'll have a little _fun_ with you before I kill you."

"N-No…" she whispered as he approached her. Freed leapt at her, causing her to shriek as she jumped away. She landed on all fours and began crawling away from him.

"Oh, yes!" the man shouted, panting like a dog. "I _**love **_it when they scream!"

"Someone help me, _please_!" Chiho choked, feeling tears beginning fall from her eyes as the man towered over her.

She suddenly felt a large presence in her mind.

**[Do you want power?]**

* * *

Issei glanced at the clock on the wall.

"They should be returning soon," Rias said, noticing his glance. Just as she finished speaking, a transport circle appeared on the ground, a small figure taking shape.

"Welcome back, Koneko-san," Issei greeted. The white-haired girl nodded at him. "What did you have to do this time?"

"Played video games," she answered as Kiba appeared behind her. "…got a limited edition manga for my trouble."

"And Mika-san had me cook for her once again," the blonde told them as he handed Rias a small wad of cash. "She gave us this in exchange."

"Ara, ara," Akeno said as she appeared in a flash of red light. "I'm the last to arrive? I must be losing my touch."

Looking at her rather… erotic outfit, Issei felt he'd rather not know what she'd been doing. Opening his mouth to comment he was interrupted as a bright blue circle flashed into existence.

"Tamamo?" he asked, noticing her wide-eyed appearance. "I thought you were at work?"

"Master, where's Chiho-chan?" the fox demanded, still in her cosplay outfit and hinting at the urgency of her presence.

"She went on a job, why?" Rias asked curiously.

"Wait, I thought you still had tracking charms on her?" Issei asked in confusion. His eyes widened. "But if you can't sense her that means…!"

"There's a barrier wherever she just went," Tamamo said gravely. "She may have fallen into a trap set by the fallen angels."

"God damn it!" he cursed, leaping to his feet.

Rias likewise stood with a look of fury on her face. "Akeno!" she barked. The black-haired girl nodded, her face serious.

"Yes, Buchou," The group gathered around her as she prepared a transportation circle. Issei glanced at Rias' face. It was twisted in a mixture of rage and terror.

'_Please be alright, Chiho,' _

* * *

**[Do you want the power to defend yourself?]** the voice asked again.** [Are you going to die here and be violated by this man?]**

"No, please help me!" Chiho cried. Freed laughed at her.

"No one's coming!" he cackled, placing his sword at her throat. She hissed in pain as it burned her.

**[If you want to survive, you must stand and fight.]** The voice told her.

"But I can't fight!" The white-haired man looked down at her in confusion.

"What the hell are you talking about?" he demanded. Just then, someone came through the door.

"F-Father Freed!" a blonde girl cried out in horror. "W-What are you doing?!"

The man twitched at the interruption. "What does it look like I'm doing, Asia?" he rolled his eyes. "I'm killing this shitty devil here, just like that sinner over there!"

Asia looked where he was pointing and gasped, covering her mouth in mute horror. "W-Why?!"

Freed let out an aggravated sigh. "That man contracted with a devil," he explained impatiently. "It's our duty to judge him for his sins. And this is the devil he summoned. It's our job to kill her too."

"But she hasn't done anything to us!" the blonde nun cried. "She's an innocent person! Please, just let her go!"

Chiho's eyes widened. This nun wanted to spare her? She felt hope blossoming in her chest.

"…Are you serious right now?" the white-haired priest demanded. "Look, she's not a person, she's a devil. We kill devils. Understand?"

The blonde girl shook her head fiercely. "No!" she repeated. "Please, don't!"

Freed glared at her. "Oh, so you're turning traitor now?" he growled. "Then perhaps I should kill you as well as this shitty devil?!" He lunged at the blonde, pinning her to the wall by the throat. His eyes trailed down her body. "But that'd be such a waste… You have a very fine body, Asia-chan…"

"W-What? No…!" Asia squeaked, struggling against him as he began tearing her clothes off.

**[Girl, this is your chance!]** the voice shouted in her mind. **[It's now or never. Stand and fight!]**

Chiho scrambled to her feet. Her eyes dilated with fear as she watched Freed tear off the nun's clothing. "I won't die here…!" she whispered to herself. "I can't die here…!"

"Oh?" Freed turned towards her. "Finally ready to fight back, you shitty devil?"

"I WON'T DIE HERE!"

Suddenly the room was enveloped in a blinding green light coming from Chiho's left arm.

"What the fuck?!" the white-haired man exclaimed, covering his eyes.

"W-What is this…?" Chiho whispered in awe as she stared at the bright red gauntlet now covering her arm. "I feel… stronger…"

"So you're a Sacred Gear user?!" Freed shouted, turning his sword on her. He lunged at her and Chiho brought her arm up in fear.

**[Boost!]**

**Clang!**

"What?" the priest exclaimed in surprise as he leapt back. "So it's not demon-based?"

"I-I can do this…" the brown-haired girl whispered.

**[Boost!]**

"I can do this!" she leapt at Freed, her fist raised.

"Too slow," the man easily sidestepped her attack, slicing her lower back with his sword. Chiho cried out in agony as the sword burned her. "Well, that was anti-climactic." He sighed slightly. "Well, I'm bored now. I'll just kill you and go play Nario Cart at the arcade."

"No, don't!" Asia cried, covering her bare chest with her hands. Freed twitched.

"Okay, seriously, this is getting a little old!" he snarled.

"I agree," a voice called out as a bright red light enveloped the room. They turned to see the Occult Research Club appearing behind them. Rias glared at him darkly. "It's time to end this game."

"B-Buchou!" Chiho cried out, relief in her voice. Issei looked at her crumpled form and growled.

"Asia!" Freed snarled. "You were supposed to erect a barrier!"

"Asia?"

"I-Issei-san?" the nun cried out in shock.

"Hmm?" the white-haired priest hummed. "Do you know each other, Asia-chan?" He grinned. "I knew it! So you _are_ a traitor!" He raised his sword and licked Chiho's blood off. "Oh, so many shitty little devils for me to play with!"

"Buchou, the fallen angels are approaching," Koneko announced. Rias nodded.

"Our priority is getting Chiho away from here," she ordered. "Akeno, prepare for transport. Yuuto keep him busy. Koneko, grab her."

"Roger," Kiba rushed the priest, who leapt back. Koneko took the chance to grab her fallen comrade and rush her towards Akeno.

"I'm so sorry, Chi-chan," Issei whispered to the girl squeezing her hand. She smiled at him.

"It's not your fault," the brown-haired girl said. He squeezed her hand once more before turning towards the blonde girl.

"I-Issei-san, what are you doing here?" Asia asked, still covering her chest as the boy approached. Issei's eyes narrowed.

"Did he hurt you too, Asia?" he asked. The blonde nun blushed slightly.

"N-No, but he tried to…" she didn't need to finish her sentence. He immediately understood what she meant.

"Tamamo," he growled. "Erect a barrier around this place."

"Of course, Master," the fox bowed and raised her hands upward, a blue magic circle appearing on the ceiling.

"Issei-kun?" Rias questioned.

"Go," he ordered. "Get Chiho away from here."

"Issei-san!" Chiho shouted. He smiled at her.

"Go rest up," Issei ordered. "I'll see you soon."

Rias nodded and she disappeared with her peerage in a flash of red light.

"I-Issei-san," Asia said quietly. "Y-You're a devil?"

He smiled at her sadly. "Yes, I am," he nodded, kneeling next to her. "But knowing that, does it really change anything? We were friends before and we're still friends now."

Her eyes widened. "R-Really?" she asked shyly. He smiled.

"Always," he said.

"My, isn't this touching?" Freed interrupted. "It's so beautiful it makes me wanna puke!"

Issei sighed. "Sorry about this Asia," he whispered, waving a hand over her face. "Make sure to tell Yuuma what he did to you. Now, sleep."

The blonde's eyes slowly fluttered shut as his spell took hold. He caught her before she fell and gently placed her on the couch.

"Oi, you ready to die now, shitty devil?" the priest asked, licking his sword once again. "I'll kill you, then rape your sexy fox girlfriend over there before I rape little Asia here!"

Issei slowly stood, his entire demeanor changing in an instant. The candles around the room began going out, as his very presence seemed to eradicate the light around him.

"Oi, what the…?" Freed muttered as his light sword extinguished itself. He frantically shook the hilt. "Light… _light_ _up_ damn you…!"

"You have overstepped your bounds," a demonic voice growled. The priest glanced up in fear at the approaching figure. He raised his pistol and fired until the clip was empty, but he might as well have been throwing pebbles for all the good it did. "Go on, stray priest. Pray for salvation."

"O, God," he whispered. His entire body shook as the… _thing_ took another step towards him. Demonic eyes stared him down as the priest slowly sank to his knees. And staring into those eyes…

He knew the true meaning of terror.

* * *

**A/N: I think I'm starting to take this story a little too seriously. I'm not sure whether or not that's a good thing.**

**On another note, wow, we're on chapter 10? I didn't think we'd get this far.**


	11. Chapter 11

Chiho groaned slightly as she woke with the sun shining in her face. She pulled the sheets over her head and buried her face into her pillow. Funny, since when did her pillow get so soft and smooth? Was that the smell of roses? She rubbed her face into it.

"Ah!" the pillow gasped. Chiho froze.

Slowly, almost dreading to face the truth, she rose from the bed. "Ara, good morning, Chiho," Rias greeted with a smile.

"B-Buchou!" the brown-haired girl squeaked. "Why are we naked?! Oh, no… My purity…! I'm so sorry, Issei-san…"

The redhead giggled at her. "Oh, relax, Chiho," she patted her on the head. "You passed out when we got back; most likely from the strain of awakening and using your Sacred Gear. I had to heal you by pressing my body against yours. I assure you that you're still pure."

"Oh," Chiho sighed in relief. Then last night's events came rushing back into her. "What happened to Issei-san?"

"He came to check up on you," Rias explained as she began getting dressed. "He went home when I told him you'd be fine. You slept the entire day and we ended up missing school."

"Oh," she wasn't sure whether to feel happy that he came to see her or disappointed that he left. She glanced out the window. It was early evening. "Do you know what happened when he stayed behind?"

Her master paused in her dressing. "No," she said after a while. "His expression when he returned though… it was terrifying. Tamamo-san seemed unusually solemn as well."

Chiho looked ready to speak once more, but was interrupted by someone entering the room. "Chi-chan, it's time for dinn- Oh!" an older woman who resembled the brown-haired girl exclaimed. "Rias-chan, you're here again?"

The crimson-haired devil smiled at her. "Yes, I'm sorry for intruding, Sasaki-san,"

"It's no trouble at all," the woman waved her off. She turned her head. "Otou-san! Set the table for four! Rias-chan is here again!"

"Got it!" a male voice called back.

The woman turned back to them. "When you're ready, come join us for dinner." With that she left, closing the door behind her.

Rias, now fully dressed, turned to her servant. "We'll continue our conversation at the clubroom later."

Chiho nodded and began dressing as well.

* * *

Asia slowly opened her eyes as the sunlight streamed through the curtains of her room. "Huh…?" she muttered as she sat up. "Where am I?"

"Asia!" a voice caught her attention. She turned to see Yuuma sitting at her bedside.

"Yuuma-san?"

"Are you okay? There was a demonic barrier around the house and we couldn't penetrate it! When we finally got in we found you half naked. Did those devils touch you? I swear, I'll-"

"No!" Asia shook her head. "They didn't touch me. It was Father Freed that tried to… tried to…"

"He _what?_!" the fallen angel demanded. "I knew I should have killed him myself!"

"What happened to him?" The nun asked. Yuuma flinched.

"I don't know what they did to him," she said. That was a lie. Calawarner had examined the priest. Whoever did that to him had shown no mercy. They had broken him in every way imaginable, while taking care to keep him coherent throughout the entire thing.

The older woman told them that the curse magic that had been placed on the priest was so powerful that even their greatest healers couldn't hope to remove it and that even Asia's Sacred Gear would most likely prove useless. The man was left trapped within his own mind, all the while mentally experiencing the torture over and over again. Like a broken record.

And if that wasn't enough, he'd had another curse placed upon him that would keep him just sane enough to comprehend what was happening to him. It truly would have been kinder to have just killed him.

There was nothing they could do for him, so they'd dropped him off at the local hospital without a word. He'd be staying there until the day his body stopped functioning, a broken husk of a person.

"I-I see," the blonde girl whispered. "Yuuma-san… I… I don't want to do this anymore. I don't want to hurt people!"

Yuuma sighed. "Look, Asia," she began. "Please understand; the devils are our enemies. We have to fight them or they'll kill us the first chance they get."

"But why?" Asia cried. "Why are they our enemies? Why can't we just stop fighting?"

"I don't know, Asia," the black-haired girl sighed. "But that's just the way things are. The devils have always been our enemies and they probably always will be."

"That's not true!" the blonde girl shouted. "I-It can't be true!"

Asia suddenly shot out of bed and ran out the door.

"Asia!" Yuuma ran after her but the blonde had already disappeared.

"Ray," a voice called out. She turned to see Calawarner watching her. "He's getting impatient." She said softly. "We have to do it tonight."

The black-haired girl's eyes widened. "Y-You mean…?"

Calawarner sighed. "Ray," she began. "I warned you not to get attached. We _have_ to do this. They're our orders."

"Cal… I… I," Yuuma whispered. The older woman sighed once again before placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I knew this would happen," she said. "You don't have to do this. I'll perform the ritual in your place."

"I…" the younger girl shook her head. "I need to find Asia." She shook off the hand off her shoulder and took off in the direction Asia had gone. Calawarner watched her go with worried eyes.

* * *

Issei sighed as he walked. He'd decided this morning that he'd go check on Asia at the church after school before meeting up with the others at the clubroom.

He was just making his way through the park when he suddenly spotted the blonde nun running.

"Asia?" he called out. The girl froze and looked in his direction.

"Issei-san!" she cried out rushing over and hugging him.

"Asia, are you okay?" he asked, noticing her tears. She sniffed, wiping the tears before nodding.

"Yes," she said quietly. "I just had a fight with Yuuma-san. That's all."

"I see," he muttered, patting her on the head. "And what did you fight about?"

"She said that I had to keep hurting people," Asia cried. "She said that we would always be enemies with devils, but I don't understand _why_ we have to be enemies!"

Issei sighed. "Devils and fallen angels have been enemies since the beginning, Asia," he said solemnly. "I don't like the fact any more than you do, but that's how it is. There's just too much hatred between them."

"But why?" the nun asked tearfully. "_You're _a devil and I'm a nun! We don't hate each other! Why can't everyone else be the same?"

He chuckled slightly. "You're so innocent, Asia," he smiled. "I love that about you. I hope it never changes." He leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead.

Suddenly a spear of light impaled the ground next to them and exploded.

* * *

Yuuma rushed through the park. She was certain Asia had gone this way. The blonde girl had explained that she'd met Issei in there and would most likely return there in her distraught state.

She finally spotted the girl's trademark golden hair. "Asi-" She cut herself off, ducking behind a tree. The girl was with Issei. Poking her head around the tree, she saw them embracing each other. She couldn't help the feelings of jealousy that rose up. She saw their lips moving but couldn't make out what they were saying.

Carefully concealing her aura, lest she alert Asia to her presence, she crept towards them.

"But why?" she heard Asia cry. "You're a devil and I'm a nun!"

Her heart stopped. Did she just hear that correctly? Issei was… a devil…? That couldn't be true…! How long had they been going out now? And… how long has Asia known? Had everything been a lie?

'_He told her,' _The thought came to her suddenly. _'He told her and didn't tell me.'_ How long had this been going on? He _was_ awfully protective of her. Was she in on it? How long had he been leading her on? How long had they _both_ been leading her on?

Ugly feelings began to emerge but the more she tried to quash them, the more powerful they seemed to become. _'Why her?' _she mentally screamed. '_Was he just using me to get close to her?' _ It was awfully convenient that he'd been the one to bring her to the church. He'd even agreed to show her around town. '_He seemed so upset when I asked to tag along…' _

She clutched at her chest as a tidal wave of emotions washed over her. "It hurts," she whispered as she braced herself against the tree she was hiding behind. "Why…?" She looked up at the couple.

"I love that about you, Asia," the brown-haired boy smiled. "I hope it never changes." He leaned down and kissed the blonde on the forehead.

Something in her snapped.

* * *

Issei glanced up through the dust and debris. He'd barely managed to get Asia away from the impact zone. What he saw nearly made his jaw drop.

"Yuuma…" he breathed. There she was; wings spread to their full extent as she stared down at him coldly.

"Hello, Issei," she said emotionlessly. "I'm surprised a filthy devil like you was able to dodge my attack."

"Yuuma-"

"My name isn't Yuuma," she hissed. "Do you want to know why I chose that name when I introduced myself? It was because it means '_evening haz_e' in Japanese. I'd planned to kill you at sunset on the day of our date; an action I regret not taking."

"Yuuma, just calm down, please," Issei pleaded. She glared at him hatefully.

"I'm tired of listening to your lies," she growled, a spear of light appearing in her hands. "Asia, you'll return to the church with me. We perform the ritual tonight!"

"Yuuma-san, please!" Asia cried.

"My name is Raynare!" the fallen angel shouted, hurling her spear at the brown-haired devil. Issei leapt to the side, causing it to sail into a nearby tree and blowing it up.

"Yuuma!" he shouted once more. She created another spear. "You're not thinking clearly! Just calm down and I'll explain!"

"How long has this been going on?!" she shrieked, hurling the spear at him. "How long have you been leading me on?"

"What?" he asked dumbfounded. That turned out to be the wrong thing to say, as she let out another scream of rage and created five more spears, throwing them in quick succession. He hastily erected a barrier. "Wait, damn it… Listen to me!"

"Stop, please, stop!" Asia shouted. "I'll go with you, please, don't hurt him!"

"Asia…!" Issei protested. She smiled at him tearfully.

"Please stop fighting," she whispered. "I don't like seeing my friends fight each other."

"Good girl, Asia," Raynare said, floating down to her. She turned her cold stare on Issei. "This isn't over. I'll be back to finish the job."

Issei watched as she placed a hand on the blonde girl's shoulder and disappeared in a flash of light. He stared up at the sky, frustration evident on his face.

"Damn it!"

* * *

"Chiho," Rias began as the Occult Research Club gathered in their clubroom. The only ones missing were Issei and Suzuki. "I'd like to apologize for last night's fiasco. I sent you straight into the hands of an exorcist and nearly got you killed."

The brown-haired girl flushed slightly. "It wasn't your fault, Buchou," she said. "There was no way you could have known."

"Still," the redhead sighed. "We were lucky you managed to awaken your Sacred Gear. You might have died had you not defended yourself."

Chiho turned red in embarrassment. "Actually, I was defeated rather easily despite that," she admitted. "The only reason I'm still alive was because that nun didn't want to kill me."

Rias raised an eyebrow. "A nun saved you?" she asked incredulously. The rest of her peerage looked equally dubious.

"Yes, I was too weak to defend myself," Chiho said, somewhat bitterly. "I'm just a «Pawn», after all."

"Now, now," Tamamo chided her. "Just because you're a «Pawn» doesn't automatically make you weak."

"She is correct," Ashiya nodded. "In the endgame, the piece that decides the match is oftentimes the «Pawn». Do you know what happens when a «Pawn» reaches the end of the board?"

"She can become a «Queen»," Rias smiled. "Or a «Knight», «Bishop» or «Rook». That's the special ability of the «Pawn»: promotion. When in enemy territory or with the permission of the «King», you can promote yourself to any other piece besides the «King»."

"Or to put it metaphorically," a voice called out. "With hard work and determination, you can go from being the weakest to the strongest."

"Who's there?" Rias barked, looking around the room. Out of the shadows, a familiar figure stepped forward.

"Ara? You are Suzuki-san aren't you?" Akeno asked. The other black-haired girl simply nodded.

"How long were you there?" Kiba asked in shock. She smirked at him.

"I was here the entire time," Rias turned to the small white-haired girl sitting next to Kiba.

"Koneko?"

The nekomata shook her head. "I couldn't sense her at all," She looked tense.

"I see, so she's like Tamamo-san…?"

"Not exactly," Ashiya shook his head. "While Tamamo can disguise her presence into anything she wishes; Suzuki can erase her presence completely."

"I told you," the black-haired kunoichi said. "I'm an assassin. I specialize in getting in and getting out without being detected. The fox is more suited towards information gathering." She strode over to them and deposited a familiar doll onto the table.

"Chachazero?"

"It seems Master has sent her with a message," Suzuki said as the puppet glared at her harshly. "Well, get on with it."

The puppet sent the kunoichi one last glare before closing her eyes. Rias and her group watched in confusion as she seemed to slump over.

Suddenly her head snapped up. Her bright green eyes had been replaced by a pair of familiar brown. She opened her mouth and to their shock, Issei's voice flowed out.

"The fallen angels are making their move," the doll spoke with her master's voice. "They intend to perform a ritual involving Asia, the nun. I can only assume it's to remove her Sacred Gear."

"But removing someone's Sacred Gear would kill them," Rias protested.

"If it's for the 'greater good', sacrifices must be made," the doll replied. "Yuuma has discovered that I'm a devil. She feels betrayed and is thinking irrationally. I fear she will go through with the ritual. I intend to reason with her and I need you to keep the others busy while I do so."

"Very well, Issei-sama," Ashiya nodded immediately. "I assume you want no casualties?"

"Exactly," the doll nodded. "They are not our enemies. The one we're after is whoever is leading them."

"And I'm assuming you don't wish for us to get involved with your lover's quarrel?" Rias questioned.

"L-Lovers?!" Chiho sputtered.

"Yes, I have to deal with this myself," the doll said, ignoring the brown-haired girl's outburst. "We'll rendezvous at the foot of the hill." With that doll slumped over once again.

"Well, there you have it," Chachazero said as she returned to normal. She crossed her arms, pouting. "I've got orders to stay here. The situation's too delicate for me to get involved. Or at least that's what Master says."

"I'd have to say he's right," Tamamo muttered. She then motioned towards Suzuki. Only Mordred seemed to understand the gesture, as she stood and promptly punched the black-haired girl in the face.

Rias and her peerage watched in shock as the ninja suddenly seemed to 'pop' into a puff of smoke. "What…?"

"She was a Kage Bunshin," the fox explained as she prepared a transportation circle.

"A 'shadow clone'?" Akeno questioned curiously.

"A mass of shadow formed around a chakra core," Tamamo said. "Extremely difficult to tell apart from the original."

"But they can't take hits at all," Mordred commented as she stepped into the circle. "Just pinching it on the cheek would make it pop."

"Then why didn't you?" The blonde shrugged.

"I just felt like hitting something."

Rias looked concerned. "Shouldn't we inform Suzuki-san of what's happening?"

"Oh, she already knows," Mordred said offhandedly.

"The clone transfers all the memories it gains to the original upon being destroyed," Morgiana said quietly. "She'll meet us there."

"That's… an extraordinarily useful technique," Rias muttered as she thought of the possibilities.

"Alright, we're ready to go," Tamamo announced to her fellow servants.

"We'll go with you," Rias said, standing. The fox raised an eyebrow at her. "I owe that nun for helping Chiho, here and I don't like the idea of being in debt to a church associate."

"Yeah, right," Mordred muttered.

"Well, whatever," Tamamo sighed. "Let's just go. I don't want to keep Master waiting."

They gathered around the fox-girl and disappeared in a flash of blue light.

* * *

Issei glanced to his right as Suzuki appeared in a swirl of leaves beside him. "Glad you could make it," he intoned, leaning against a tree.

"Master," she greeted.

"I take it you were off doing something else when your clone got the message?" Issei asked as he stared at the church looming in the distance. The girl made an annoyed face.

"That gender-confused bitch punched me in the face," she growled. Issei chuckled at her expression.

"Well, try not to get too worked up over it," he said as a magic circle appeared on the ground before them.

"Master," Tamamo greeted. Suzuki glared at Mordred.

"We're sparring later," she growled. The blonde knight smirked at her.

"Yes, _later_," Issei stressed. He looked over at Rias' group and raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised you're here, Rias-senpai."

"Well, I owe it to the nun for helping Chiho," the redhead replied smoothly.

"Oh, really?" Issei questioned in amusement. "And it's not to have me owe you a favor?" She smiled innocently. "Well, whatever your reasons, as long as it makes this go smoother, I don't care." His face shifted into a frown. "You will approach from the west. They'll confront you in order to buy time for Yuuma. I'll be approaching from the south."

"You're going through the front door?" Kiba asked in surprise. Issei simply nodded.

"Their numbers have been significantly reduced," he said. "The only ones left are Mittelt, Calawarner and Yuuma herself. Dohnaseek, Freed and the exorcists are otherwise… incapacitated."

"We'll make a big show of appearing and draw them in by disguising our numbers," Rias nodded. "Then we'll trap them within a barrier. With four spellcasters here it shouldn't be too much of an issue keeping them occupied."

"They'll likely submit when they realize you outnumber them 1:5," Issei said. "Alright, let's go."

* * *

"Ray, are you sure you want to do this?" Calawarner asked worriedly as she watched her friend's actions. Earlier this evening she'd stormed back inside the church, practically dragging Asia behind her and flatly told the older woman that she'd be performing the ritual.

The black-haired girl glared at her. "Yes," she growled. The girl turned her gaze to the blonde nun currently bound to the sacrificial altar.

Something had obviously happened regarding Asia. Raynare seemed furious with the girl for some reason and judging by the way she reacted whenever Issei's name was brought up; he had something to do with it as well.

"Hey," Mittelt called out as she entered the chamber. "Devils are approaching."

"How many?" the oldest of their group asked.

"About two, maybe three," the blonde replied. Calawarner nodded. She turned to Raynare.

"We'll handle this," the blue-haired angel said. "Ray, for the last time, are you-"

"Yes!" the younger girl hissed. Calawarner flinched.

"Hey!" Mittelt shouted. "Don't take it out on her!"

"It's fine, Mittelt,"

"But-"

"It's fine," She took one last look at Raynare before following the blonde out the door. Once the door closed behind them, the black-haired angel strode up to the altar.

"Wake up, Asia," she said emotionlessly, snapping her fingers in the girl's face. The nun slowly blinked her eyes open.

"Yuuma-san…?" she whispered.

"It's Raynare," the angel growled. Asia flinched. "I wanted you to be awake while I extract your Sacred Gear. I want you to experience the same pain I felt when you and that bastard betrayed me."

"I-I don't understand!" the blonde girl cried in confusion. "W-What did I do?"

"Shut up!" Raynare hissed. Once again, Asia flinched. Composing herself, the black-haired girl stepped away from her. She raised her arms towards her and began chanting.

The ritual had begun.

* * *

"Well, what do we have here?" Calawarner asked mockingly. "Two lonely devils approaching our church?"

"You're seriously trying to fight us on our home turf?" Mittelt giggled. "Wow, I didn't realize devils could be so stupid."

They both angled downward, summoning spears of light as they dive-bombed the two girls. The devils looked up in alarm and barely had time to scream before they were impaled through the heart.

"Well, that was easy," the blonde angel remarked. Calawarner narrowed her eyes.

"Too easy," she muttered. "Which means…?"

"It's a trap?" a voice called out. "Was that what you were going to say? Beause you'd be correct in that regard."

Suddenly the two devil girls popped in a puff of smoke, leaving two very shocked fallen angels.

"I must say again," a crimson-haired girl said, stepping out of the shadows. "Your _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_is a incredibly useful technique, Suzuki-san."

Just then, the area around them began to shimmer and distort. Surrounding them were not two, not three, but a whopping _ten _devils.

"And your illusion spell was superb, Tamamo-san," Rias nodded appreciatively.

"Shit," Mittelt paled. "This is bad."

Calawarner growled. "What do you intend to do with us?"

"Nothing," the redhead replied offhandedly. The angel girls blinked.

"Wait, what?" the blonde asked incredulously.

"We're just here to keep you from interfering," Ashiya said coolly. "Issei-sama wishes to speak with Yuuma-san alone."

"Raynare's boyfriend is a devil?!" Mittelt shouted. Calwarner's eyes narrowed.

"And what does he intend to do with her?" she asked. "If he hurts her, I swear-"

"You'll what?" Tamamo asked, raising an eyebrow. Calawarner had no answer. She knew she couldn't possibly beat all of them. Not with the amount of power some of them were radiating. "You can relax though. My Master has no intention of harming her."

The older woman perked up upon hearing that. "Really?"

"Yes," the fox-girl nodded. "It seems that despite the fact that they've been deceiving each other, my Master has come to genuinely care for your friend."

"Unbelievable," Mittelt muttered. "A devil and a fallen angel?"

Calawarner remained quiet for several moments. "We surrender." She said.

"What?!" Mittelt shouted in shock. "Cal!"

"They have us completely outnumbered, outgunned and outclassed, Mittelt," the older woman sighed. "And honestly, I just want Ray to be happy more than anything. And if that guy can do that…" She looked Tamamo in the eye. "You promise he won't hurt her?"

"I swear it."

Calawarner nodded. "Thank you." And with that she turned her gaze towards the church. The others soon followed.

* * *

Raynare watched quietly as the ritual ended. She stared, emotionless, as Asia's Sacred Gear fell into her hands.

"I'm… so sorry…" the blonde girl whispered. Raynare glanced at her.

"I'd be sorry too," she said flatly. "If I knew I was about to die.

Asia shook her head. "No…" she said weakly. "I'm sorry… that I put you through so much pain…"

The black-haired girl's eyes widened. "W-What?" Asia smiled at her.

"You said that… I'd feel the same pain that… you felt," she whispered. "I can't believe that you felt this way… I'm so sorry…"

She coughed, her vision beginning to blur. "I don't know what I did…" she said quietly. "But I'm happy…"

"You're… happy?" Raynare asked in shocked.

"I'm happy… that my death will… take your pain away," Asia said, smiling her radiant smile. The same smile that captured both Issei's heart and Yuuma's. "The only thing I regret… is that I never got the chance… to spend more time with you… and Issei-san…"

"Asia…"

The blonde girl began gasping for breath. Raynare immediately released her from her bonds and caught her before she hit the floor. And despite it all, the girl was still smiling.

"Please don't be mad… at Issei-san…" she whispered. "He… didn't tell me… until yesterday. He's the one… who saved me… So please… don't hate him…"

The black-haired girl could feel tears burning in her eyes. "Why don't you hate me?"

"I could never hate you…" Asia smiled. "You and Issei-san were… my first friends. I love you. And I know… deep in my heart… that Issei-san loves you, Yuuma-san…"

"Asia…!" she cried as the girl's eyes began to flutter closed.

"I'm… sorry…"

"Asia… ASIA!" Yuuma shouted, shaking the unresponsive girl in her arms. "Oh, God…" she whispered as her tears fell. She vaguely registered someone stepping next to her.

"It seems I was too late," Issei said softly. She couldn't even muster the energy to look at him.

"Why…?" she asked.

"Because Asia was right," he replied. "I love you."

"How could you love me?" the black-haired girl muttered. "We're enemies. You're a devil and I'm a fallen angel."

"Tell me, Yuuma," he said, placing a finger at her chin and making her look at him. "Would you say you loved me before you knew I was a devil?"

"I…" she looked away. "…yes…"

"Then why does it matter what we are?" Issei asked. "I may have lied to you about what I am, but never did I lie to you about the kind of _person _I am." He stepped away from her and raised his arms to the side. "This is who I am, a student at Kuoh Academy and number one employee at WcDonalds!"

"Why…" Yuuma muttered, a trace of a smile on her lips. "Why did I have to fall in love with an idiot like you?" She sighed, any hint of humor gone. "I suppose neither of us were very honest with each other." She looked up at him. "So you weren't just playing with me? You really love me…?"

Issei's response was a kiss. "Does that answer your question?" he asked, seeing her flushed face.

"Why aren't you angry?" the fallen angel asked. "I just… killed Asia…"

"You speak as though she'll stay dead," Issei smirked at her. Yuuma's eyes widened.

"Y-You can bring her back?" she breathed. He nodded. Taking Yuuma's hand, he retrieved Asia's Sacred Gear. He frowned.

"I recognize this," he muttered. "It's Twilight Healing. No wonder the fallen angels wanted it."

Yuuma hesitated. "Kokabiel-sama will not be pleased…" she whispered.

"Oho?" Issei smirked. "So he's the one who was giving you orders?" Yuuma nodded solemnly.

"Wow, what perfect timing!" a voice called out. Issei and Yuuma both spun around to see a magic circle appear on the ground.

"A-Azazel-sama!" Yuuma sqeaked. The Governor gave her a mock salute.

"Yo, Raynare-chan!" he exclaimed. "I was just about to tell you myself, Issei-kun."

Issei raised an eyebrow at him. "You mean you _just_ now found out?"

Azazel scowled at his tone. "Hey, apparently Kokabiel is smarter than he looks," he defended himself. "He cast a complex spell on his subordinates that prevents them from telling me. I didn't want to alert the traitor to my snooping by involving a third party, so it took me until just now to get passed the spell."

The brown-haired boy raised his arms in defense. "Alright, I get it, calm down," he muttered.

"Azazel-sama?" Yuuma asked in confusion. "What's going on?"

"Ah, sorry, Raynare-chan," the Governor said. "There's a traitor among the Grigori and I asked Issei-kun here to help me determine who it is."

She turned to Issei in shock. "Y-You're working with Azazel-sama?"

Issei smiled at her. "Like I said, Yuuma," he patted her head. "Our factions don't matter. I've been friends with Azazel here for some time now. Your friend Dohnaseek? I brought him to Azazel for questioning."

"And he told me today that Kokabiel was the one giving orders," Azazel said with a frown.

"K-Kokabiel-sama is a traitor?" Yuuma stuttered. "I-I'm sorry, Azazel-sama, I had no idea!"

"I know," the Governor sighed. He glanced at Asia on the ground. "Were you planning on reincarnating her?"

"I was, but I think I have a better idea," Issei nodded. "Rias! I know you're there. Come out, it's fine."

There was silence for several moments before Rias and her peerage stepped through the chamber doors, a tense look on their faces as they eyed Azazel warily. Issei's servants followed with Calawarner and Mittelt in custody.

"Did you need something, Issei-kun?" Rias questioned. He nodded.

He gestured at Asia. "This girl is the one who saved Chiho. She's the user of Twilight Healing. I believe she'd be a good addition to your peerage."

Rias raised an eyebrow. "You're just giving her to me?"

"Ise?" Yuuma asked in concern. He smiled at her.

"It's fine," he whispered. He turned back to Rias. "Of course, I'll expect a favor." He grinned.

Rias sighed before smiling. "Very well then, I'll make her my «Bishop». I owe you, Issei-kun."

"«Bishop»?" Yuuma asked in confusion. In response, Rias withdrew a Bishop piece from her pocket. Issei slipped Asia's Twilight Healing onto her fingers and stood back. Rias placed the Evil Piece directly over Asia's chest and stood.

A bright red magic circle appeared beneath the nun and Rias began to speak. "In the name of the House of Gremory, I, Rias Gremory order you, Asia Argento: return to this world and serve in my name!"

The light became blinding as the ritual neared its end. When the light faded, the Bishop piece had disappeared into Asia's flesh. Slowly, the blonde girl began fluttering her eyes open.

"W-What…?" she whispered. She blinked up at Issei. "Issei-san!" she cried, grabbing Issei in a hug.

"I don't believe it…" Yuuma whispered in awe. "The devils can bring back the dead?"

"So that's how it works, eh?" Azazel muttered. "Fascinating…"

"Yuuma-san?" Asia asked. The black-haired girl waved at her nervously. "Yuuma-san!" The blonde didn't hesitate to reach over and pull her into the hug.

"Y-You're not angry?" Yuuma whispered. Asia shook her head, smiling.

"You're my precious friend, Yuuma-san," she said sincerely. "I can never be angry at you."

"A-Asia…" she hugged her back. "I'm so sorry…"

"I forgive you..." the nun whispered in return. Issei broke away from the hug and stood to face Azazel.

"Well, what do you intend to do now?" he questioned.

"This needs to be handled delicately," Azazel frowned. He turned to Yuuma who was still being hugged by Asia. "And Kokabiel won't be pleased when he finds out who ratted him out. I'll have to place them all in protective custody."

"W-What?" Asia asked, frightened as Ashiya brought Calawarner and Mittelt over to them. "But…"

Issei sighed. "I'm sorry, Asia…" he patted her on the head. "But it needs to happen to keep them safe."

"B-But…!" Yuuma hugged the blonde, who returned the gesture fiercely.

"I'm sorry, Asia-chan…" she whispered. "I promise; I'll see you again one day…"

"Yuuma-san…" the black-haired girl broke away from her. She stood and faced Issei.

"I'm sorry to you too, Issei," she said softly as Azazel prepared a transport circle behind her.

"So am I, Yuuma," Issei said softly. The girl leaned forward, kissing him one last time before stepping back.

"Goodbye, Ise-kun."

They watched in solemn silence as the four fallen angels disappeared in a flash of light.

"Goodbye, Yuuma-chan..."

* * *

**A/N: And that's that. Sorry about all the melodrama, but it needed to be done in order to advance the plot.**

**I don't know why, but despite how Raynare was portrayed in canon, I really liked her.**

**Maybe I have a thing for bad girls? LOL.**

**Anyway, I have to say, Chapter 10 seemed to be really popular. Or maybe it was just because people were reviewing both 9 and 10? Either way, I was surprised by the amount of reviews.**

**Actually, I wasn't expecting this story to be as popular as it is. Either way, thanks for reading!**

* * *

**Character Profile: **

**Name: Issei Hyoudou**

**True Name: Satan**

**Alignment: Lawful Neutral**

**Height: 5'9/175cm**

**Weight: 145lbs/66kg**

**Physical Age: 16-17**

**Hair Color: Brown**

**Eye Color: Brown**

**Likes: Peace, Not Being Poor**

**Dislikes: Being Poor**

* * *

**Name: Shirou Ashiya**

**True Name: Alciel**

**Alignment: True Neutral **

**Height: 6'0/183cm**

**Weight: 165lbs/75kg**

**Physical Age: 20-21**

**Hair Color: White**

**Eye Color: Gold**

**Likes: Issei-sama, Cooking**

**Dislikes: People who don't like Issei-sama, Being Poor**

* * *

**Name: Tamamo Maeno**

**True Name: Tamamo-no-Mae**

**Alignment: Lawful Neutral**

**Height: 5'4/163cm**

**Weight: 108lbs/49kg**

**Physical Age: 16-17**

**BWH: 86/57/84**

**Hair Color: Pinkish red**

**Eye Color: Amber**

**Likes: 4 1/2 tatami mat of happiness, Issei**

**Dislikes: Mordred, Being Poor**

* * *

**Name: Molly Knight**

**True Name: Mordred Pendragon**

**Alignment: Chaotic Good**

**Height: 5'1/154cm**

**Weight: 92lbs/42kg**

**Physical Age: 15-16**

**BWH: 73/53/76**

**Hair Color: Blonde**

**Eye Color: Green**

**Likes: Motorcycles, Riding, Fighting, Swords, Issei**

**Dislikes: A LOT**

* * *

**Name: Morgiana**

**True Name: Morgiana**

**Alignment: Lawful Neutral**

**Height: 4'9/145cm**

**Weight: 92lbs/42kg**

**Physical Age: 14-15**

**BWH: 80/60/85**

**Hair Color: Dark Red/Fuchsia**

**Eye Color: Pink**

**Likes: Martial Arts, Running, Flying, Issei**

**Dislikes: Slavery, Arrogance, Apathy, Cruelty**

* * *

**Name: Suzuki Uchiha**

**True Name: Suzuki Uchiha**

**Alignment: Chaotic Good**

**Height: 5'7/173cm**

**Weight: 125lbs/56kg**

**Physical Age: 17-18**

**BWH: 89/57/90**

**Hair Color: Black**

**Eye Color: Onyx**

**Likes: Martial Arts, Swords, Training, Issei**

**Dislikes: People who take their lives for granted, excess arrogance**

* * *

**...**

…

…

…

* * *

Issei sighed as he sat at his desk, causing his servants glanced at him worriedly. He'd been unusually quiet and solemn ever since Yuuma left.

They'd tried cheering him up but the brown-haired boy remained unresponsive. Despite the short amount of time he'd spent with the black-haired girl, he'd grown quite fond of her.

'_But it's for the best,' _Issei mused to himself as he gazed out the window.

"Master…?"

'_If Kokabiel found out who'd sold him out, I've no doubt he'd retaliate,'_

"Hey, Master!"

'_But I can't help but miss her,' _he bemoaned. _'And Asia obviously misses her as well… I-'_

"Master!" Issei felt a wad of paper hit him in the face.

"What?" he demanded, glaring at Mordred. "I'm trying to sulk here!" The blonde merely motioned to the front of the class.

"For those of you who weren't paying attention, I'll say it again," a familiar woman said at the head of the class. "My name is Calawarner and starting today I'll be your new homeroom teacher." She strode over to the desk and sat down. "And as my first act as teacher; I'd like for our new transfer student to introduce herself."

Issei watched in disbelief as a _very _familiar black-haired girl strode into the classroom.

"Hello, everyone!" the girl smiled. "I'm Amano Yuuma, Ise-kun's girlfriend. Please take care of me!"

Eh?

…

…

…

_Eeeeeeeeeeeehhhhhhhhhh?!_

* * *

**A/N2: Did I trick you? =D **


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: While I suppose this chapter could go by itself, it really plays off the ending of chapter 11. So if you didn't read the ENTIRE chapter, I suggest you go back and do so, as in, beyond the author's note.**

* * *

"Well now," Rias began, her cheek noticeably twitching. "Would someone please explain to me why there are three fallen angels sitting in our clubroom?"

Issei laughed nervously as everyone stared at him as though it were his fault. '_Damn you, Azazel,' _

The damnable Governor had sent him a cheeky message stating that there was no safer place than in his custody.

"We've been placed under Issei-sama's protective custody," Calawarner said smoothly. Rias raised an eyebrow at her new found respect but didn't comment on it.

"Each of us have taken on binding contracts," Yuuma continued. "While we are here we must follow Ise-kun's every order."

"And if we don't…" Mittelt pointed at a black leather collar on her neck. Yuuma and Calawarner sported similar collars. "Issei-sama just has to say the word and these things will blow our heads off."

"And you simply chose to serve a devil?" Kiba asked. They seemed to hesitate for a moment.

"It was either that or be imprisoned," Calawarner said after a while. "Our comrade, Dohnaseek chose that option. Raynare chose to return here. Mittelt and I simply followed her."

"Is that so?"

"I assure you, we'll be causing no trouble here," the woman continued. "Our orders are to lay low and do as Issei-sama says."

Rias was silent for a while before speaking up. "Very well," she conceded. "But be aware that we'll be watching you closely. May I ask for your names?"

"You'd be a fool not to," Calawarner nodded. "And my name is Calawarner. I've been placed here as a world history teacher. I am also Issei-sama's new homeroom teacher."

"Mittelt," the blonde angel said, examining her nails. "I'll be a first year here."

"She's in our class," Morgiana spoke up. Koneko nodded in confirmation.

"My true name is Raynare," the black-haired angel introduced herself. "But I'm going by Amano Yuuma for the time being."

"A-Ano!" Chiho stuttered. "A-Are you really Issei-san's girlfriend?"

Yuuma smirked as she held Issei's hand. "Why, yes, I am."

Issei felt a chill ride up his spine as his female servants glared at him. Chiho seemed to deflate. "O-Oh…"

"Ara, you may be the official girlfriend," Tamamo conceded. "But I'd say you're still dead last at the moment."

"Eh?" Chiho seemed confused but Yuuma simply scowled. "What do you mean, Tamamo-san?"

The fox grinned mischievously. "Why, Master is a hot-blooded male," she giggled. "And we, his beautiful and ever-so-willing servants have been with him for a long time."

"Huh?"

"Devils aren't exactly known for celibacy _or_ monogamy, girl," Yuuma scowled. "So… all of them?"

"At least once," Issei admitted sheepishly as Chiho seemed to hyperventilate. "Morgiana being the exception."

"Actually…" Tamamo said with a sly grin. Morgiana went red, making Issei's heart quicken.

"It was right after you went drinking with Azazel," Mordred seemed to be enjoying the look on her master's face. "Don't worry, she didn't mind. Judging by the sounds _we_ heard, anyway."

Issei slowly curled into a fetal position, his face pale. "I really _am_ a siscon…" he whispered as he rocked himself back and forth. Yuuma let out a sigh.

"I understand that I won't be the only girl in your life," she said softly, bringing Issei's attention to her. "…just… don't forget about me, okay?"

He smiled at her, slinging an arm around her shoulders. "After everything you put me through, woman?" Issei said teasingly. "Not a chance."

"I don't believe it…" Chiho muttered. "Issei-san has a harem…?"

"It's actually quite common, Chiho," Rias nodded. "Ever since the Evil Piece system was put into place it's become common for high-class devils to be intimate with their servants."

"Wait…" the brown-haired girl blushed. "Does that mean that you and Kiba-san…?"

"Yuuto?" Rias raised an eyebrow. "No. He's too virtuous for that. But Akeno and I have… experimented more than once."

"Ara, ara," Akeno said, placing her hands on her cheeks. "Buchou, you're making me blush."

"B-B-Buchou and A-Akeno-san?!" Chiho stammered, her face completely red. "B-Buchou, are you _sure_ we didn't…"

"Yes, I'm sure," Rias giggled at her. The brown-haired girl sighed in relief.

"Then I still have a chance…" she muttered. "I might have to settle for concubine though… Mou, my youth romantic comedy is wrong, as I expected…"

"Did you say something?"

"Nothing!" she shouted.

"Anyway," Rias began in an amused tone. "I think I know someone who will be very happy about this."

Just then the door opened and a familiar blonde girl stepped through. "I'm so sorry, Buchou-san!" she cried. "I got lost on my way here and –"

Asia froze as her eyes landed on Yuuma who waved sheepishly. "Hi, Asia - Oof!"

"Yuuma-san!" the nun cried, latching onto her friend. "I missed you so much!"

"It's only been a day, Asia," the black-haired girl smiled, rubbing the blonde's back. "But I'm happy to see you, too."

"A-Are you here to stay?" Asia asked hopefully. Yuuma patted her head.

"I am," she nodded.

"Asia will be attending here as a second year starting Monday," Rias began. "But unfortunately we currently have nowhere for her to stay and I can't just let her live by herself. Issei-kun, would you be willing to board her until I can figure out a solution?"

"Well, I don't exactly mind," Issei said hesitantly. "So long as it's temporary...You don't mind sleeping on a futon, do you, Asia?"

"No, not at all!" the blonde girl said quickly. Issei nodded and turned to Yuuma.

"That reminds me, where will the three of you be staying?" he asked. "At the church?"

"We're supposed to be in your custody," Calawarner said bluntly. "Of course we'll be staying with you."

"Oh, hell no!" Mordred snapped. "Our place is crowded enough as it is!"

"Well those are our orders," the older woman retorted. "It's not for us to decide."

Issei sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "You can stay there temporarily," he allowed. "But we'll have to find a better solution than that." He glanced at his watch. "Anyway, I've got work in about an hour. We'll show you to our apartment." He stood along with his servants and the fallen. "Everyone, we'll see you tomorrow."

"I'll drop off Asia tomorrow, Issei-kun," Rias said. "Right after Chiho's training."

"Oh, finally starting your training, eh?" Issei asked. Chiho flushed.

"Yeah, after the incident with the exorcist I realized just how much I need to improve," the brown-haired girl said. "Anyway, I'll see you at work later, Issei-san!"

Issei nodded at her and exited with his servants not far behind him.

* * *

"This is where you live?" Calawarner asked incredulously as they stepped inside the tiny apartment.

Mittelt glared at Yuuma. "What the hell did you drag us into?" The black-haired girl merely flushed in embarrassment.

"At least Phoenix-san managed to get our kotatsu back," Ashiya remarked as he began making tea. Issei twitched at the reminder of the Cardboard Box Incident.

"That reminds me, how are things going concerning our financial status?" he asked the black-haired ninja.

"Well, we're not in debt anymore," Suzuki offered. Issei sighed.

"Better than nothing," he muttered as he plopped down at the kotatsu. He looked up at the fallen angels who shuffled about awkwardly. "Well, regretting your decision?"

"A bit," Mittelt muttered. Calawarner was silent.

"I wanted to ask you something…" she said after a while. "When Azazel-sama asked the four of us what we wanted to do… Dohnaseek… He seemed terrified of you. Why is that?"

Issei sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose for a moment. "That's… a bit of a story, actually," he said, glancing at his watch. "One I don't really have time to tell. I've got work right now."

"Will you tell us when you get back?" Yuuma asked. Issei nodded.

"I suppose you of all people deserve to know, Yuuma," he said. "Ashiya, Tamamo, hold down the fort."

"Got it." They replied as he made his way out the door.

* * *

"Thanks for your work, Hyoudou," the manager called out. "We'll take it from here. You can get on home."

"Thanks, boss," Issei called back. He waved goodbye to Chiho, who still had another hour to go before she was off. "See you, Chi-chan,"

"Bye, Issei-san!" The brown-haired boy made his way out of the restaurant, his expression changing the moment he crossed the threshold. He had felt someone watching him as he worked, but unlike Yuuma, this person made sure to carefully conceal their aura.

He made his way to a secluded alleyway and called out. "I know you're there," he said sternly. "Come out."

"I'm surprised you noticed me," a feminine voice remarked. His eyes widened and he nearly groaned. He certainly recognized that voice. "I was sure I hid myself."

"You did," Issei said begrudgingly as a tall girl stepped forward. "It was more of an intuitive feeling than anything else." He let out a sigh. "I see you found me yet again, Emilia."

"It is my duty to keep watch on you, Maou," the girl retorted coolly. "And my name is Yusa Emi in this country. Remember it."

Though she looked different than the last time he saw her, it was indeed Emilia Justina, his so-called 'arch-nemesis'. Her once silver hair was now a deep fuchsia color that reached her waist. A single braid hung from the right side of her face. Her eyes remained the same greenish-gold he remembered and were currently narrowed as she glared at him.

Her outfit consisted of a grey suit vest over a white dress shirt with a violet bowtie around her collar. She wore a brown plaid skirt and a pair of black pumps, though it appeared she wasn't quite used to them yet, if the way she was teetering precariously was any indication.

Sensing two more people approaching, he looked behind her to see her entourage approaching them. One was a woman, shorter than Emilia but still maintaining a more mature appearance than the redhead. Her long, midnight blue-hair was tied into a ponytail on the left side of her head using a kanzashi hairpin in the shape of a red flower. Her icy blue eyes starred at him demurely, but he knew that behind the façade were the eyes of a trained warrior.

She currently wore a midnight blue kimono with a yellow obi. He had no idea why she was wearing a kimono in this weather but he wasn't going to comment on it. Standing next to her was a blonde girl who looked remarkably similar to Mordred though considering that Mordred was a clone of this girl, it wasn't very surprising.

Unlike Mordred, who kept her hair in a messy ponytail, this girl kept her hair in a neat bun. While Mordred's bright green eyes were fierce and challenging, this girls eyes were calm and stern. Her outfit consisted of a white, long-sleeved blouse tucked into a long blue skirt. A blue ribbon was tied around her collar and black stockings covered her legs, leaving no skin exposed. On her feet was a pair on nondescript brown boots.

Overall, despite their uncannily similar physical appearance, she looked the complete and utter opposite of Mordred.

"Crestia," he greeted. "Saber."

"I go by Suzuno here," the kimono-clad woman corrected. The blonde girl merely nodded at him. Issei looked back at Emi and sighed. His weary appearance melted as he pointed at her accusingly.

"We had to flee the country because of you!" he growled. The redhead flushed; whether in anger or embarrassment, he didn't know.

"Your stupid doll provoked me!" Emi retorted angrily.

"So you destroyed the city?!" Issei demanded.

"She wouldn't hold still!"

"That's no excuse!"

Suzuno and Saber were looking increasingly embarrassed as people passing by began to stare at their escalating argument.

"How long have you been stalking me now?" Issei shouted. "And you still blow my cover over the smallest of things!"

"Stalking?!" Emi cried hysterically. "I've have _not _been stalking you!"

"Oh, sorry, you've just been following me everywhere I go, usually without informing me,"

"Shut up!"

"Or what?" he asked tauntingly. "You'll pull your holy sword on me? Don't. I rather like living in this city."

"I don't need a holy sword to take you down!" Emi growled, retrieving a small knife from her pocket.

Issei paused for a moment.

"That knife," he muttered. "I recognize it. It's from the 100-Yen Store!"

Emi flushed in embarrassment. "A blade is still a blade!" she said weakly. "But regardless, it'll be a piece of cake to deal with a lowly burger-flipping demon!"

"Then come at me, you Hundred Yen Hero!"

With a shriek of rage, she did so.

* * *

Ashiya suddenly sat up in alarm. "Oh, no!" he cried, catching everyone's attention. He rushed towards the kitchen, where their dinner was boiling furiously, and turned off the stove. "That was close," he sighed in relief. "We can't afford to let any food go to waste."

"Cucumbers again, yay," Tamamo muttered bitterly.

"My God," Mittelt whined. "Why did we come here again? I honestly think prison would have been better!"

"Because Raynare wanted to be with her boyfriend," Calawarner quipped.

"So it's all her fault!"

Meanwhile, the black-haired angel bit her lip. "Ise-kun's awfully late, isn't he?"

* * *

"So, why were you fighting there?" the police officer asked as he sat across from the four of them.

"I had to defeat him," Emi answered, pointing at Issei as he leaned back in his chair, a scowl etching his face.

"…defeat…?" the officer repeated. He heaved a sigh and turned to the redhead. "Alright, now listen. I'm not sure what your boyfriend did, but pulling a knife on him is going too far."

"My… boyfriend…?" Emi asked incredulously. Issei leaned towards her.

"He thinks it was a lover's quarrel," he whispered casually. The redhead grit her teeth and stood.

"We are _not _in a relationship!" she snapped, pointing her finger at Issei and accidently poking him in the eye.

"Fucking hell!"

"Listen, I know you're angry that your boyfriend cheated on you with these two," the officer said patiently, gesturing towards Suzuno and Saber.

"WHAT?" the kimono-clad woman demanded. "I have had no such relations with this man!"

Saber nodded in agreement, her face flushed. "Neither have I!"

"Well, whatever it is that happened between you," the officer sighed. "If you want to break up, you need to talk it through like adults."

He had no idea of the impending explosion he was about to face.

"So just stay calm and talk about it, okay? Maybe you can even get back together!"

* * *

"Thanks for picking us up, Ashiya," Issei sighed as they stepped through the door.

"So this is the Devil's Palace?" Suzuno questioned as she looked around.

"Great, they've finally showed up," Mordred groaned. She glared at the blonde girl in particular, who shuffled about awkwardly.

"For someone who's been stalking Master for so long, I'm surprised it took her this long to find us," Tamamo remarked.

"I have _not_ been stalking him!" Emi shouted. Tamamo ignored her and turned towards Morgiana.

"Ne, Morg-chan," she began. "You've been with Master the longest. How long has she been stalking him?"

The shorter girl shrugged. "She was stalking him since before I met him," she admitted. "You'd have to ask Uncle Ashiya."

"She's been doing it since before we went into exile," Ashiya offered as Emi let out a sound of strangled frustration.

"What are you talking about?" Yuuma asked in confusion. "And who are these people?"

Issei sighed. "It has to deal with why Dohnaseek was frightened of me," he said. "It's about who we really are."

"Who you really are?"

"I'm far older than you think I am," Issei said.

"Well, we're no spring chickens either," Mittelt remarked. "I'm already twenty two. Raynare is close to thirty and Cal is nearly a century old by now."

"You're still children in our eyes," Tamamo said. "Suzuki is the youngest of us here and she's over two hundred years old. Ironically, she appears to be the oldest besides Ashiya."

"Many of us here have very recognizable names," Issei admitted. He gestured towards Mordred and Saber.

"This is Molly Knight. You may have heard of her under the name Mordred Pendragon." He said as the blonde merely smirked at their stunned expressions. "And this is Arturia Pendragon, better known as King Arthur."

"I gave up that name when I lost my kingdom," the other blonde said sternly. "I am Saber now."

"Wait, didn't Mordred and Arthur hate each other?" Mittelt asked in confusion. "And they're just sitting here together? And weren't they both men?"

Mordred scoffed, catching Saber's attention. "Mordred…"

"Save it," the younger girl said bitterly. Saber looked at her helplessly.

"And this is Morgiana," Issei continued, breaking the awkward silence that had descended on them. "A well known figure in the Middle East. You may have heard of her from the tale of Alibaba and the Forty Thieves." He gestured towards Tamamo. "This is Tamamo-no-Mae, the first nine-tailed fox and a well-known folktale here in Japan."

"This is Kamazuki Suzuno," he said, gesturing to the kimono-clad woman. "Better known as Crestia Bell."

"I've heard of her," Calawarner said warily. "Isn't she supposed to be one of the church's best exorcists?"

"Indeed," Suzuno intoned but didn't comment further.

"And you're just sitting here with a bunch of devils and fallen angels?" Mittelt raised an eyebrow.

"My only concern is assisting Emi-dono in watching Issei-dono," the exorcist said.

"And why is one of the church's strongest exorcists watching you, Ise-kun?" Yuuma asked, staring at him intently. "Who are you exactly?"

"I'm getting there," he sighed. He gestured towards Emi.

"My name is Emilia Justina," she said simply. The three fallen angel's jaws nearly dropped.

"E-Emilia Justina?" Calawarner stammered. "The First Exorcist?"

"Isn't she supposed to be-" Mittelt was cut off as eight pure white wings erupted from Emi's back.

"Half-angel?" the redhead questioned as her wings retracted. "Yes. I am."

"I don't believe it…" Yuuma whispered. "The daughter of Michael? And she's been stalking you?"

"_I have not been stalking him!"_

"Who are you?" Calawarner demanded. Issei ignored her in favor of introducing his final servant.

"This is Shirou Ashiya," he said as the white-haired man bowed politely. "You should know him well, for he was once one of your own. His true name is Alciel."

Silence descended upon them. "I-I'm sorry," Mittelt said as she began cleaning her ear. "Did you just say… Alciel? As in _the _Alciel that followed Lucifer into Hell?"

"The very same," Issei nodded.

"But that's not possible!" Calawarner shouted, leaping to her feet. "Alciel only served the Demon King! Only Satan has the power to command him! Who _**are**_ you?!"

"It's simple," Issei said as Tamamo and Ashiya began crafting a barrier around their apartment. "My name is Satan, nice to meet you."

They didn't even have the chance to reply before an overwhelming presence flooded their senses. The last thing any of them saw was a pair of ram-like horns and cloven hooves before they blacked out.

* * *

Yuuma groaned as she blinked her eyes open. The sounds of an argument drew her attention and she turned to see Issei arguing with that Emi woman.

"They weren't ready for that!" the redhead snapped.

"They wouldn't have believed me otherwise!" he retorted. He glanced to his right and saw Yuuma waking up. "Ah, Yuuma!" he rushed over to her. "Are you okay?"

The black-haired girl merely starred at him in mute shock for several moments. An understandable reaction. It wasn't everyday you found out your boyfriend was one of the most powerful beings in the universe.

"Yuuma?"

"I, y-you-You're…" the girl stuttered. Behind her, Calawarner and Mittelt were beginning to stir.

"I'm Satan, yes," he said this as though he were talking about the weather.

"B-But I thought Satan was dead!" Yuuma squeaked.

"Most of the world believes that to be true," Issei nodded. "I went into hiding after the death of God because I'd been severely weakened."

There was silence for several moments.

"Issei-sama," Ashiya said. "I do not believe they were aware of God's death."

"Eh?" Issei blinked and turned to see the three fallen angels looking faint once again. "Uh, surprise?"

_**THUD!**_

* * *

"So… you've been in hiding because you want to maintain peace?" Yuuma asked for clarification. After the three woke up they'd finally managed to get through their explanation without any further interruptions.

Issei nodded. "Indeed. While the ceasefire is tentative at best, it is better than all out war."

"I still can't believe it…" Calawarner muttered. "God is… dead…?"

"As dead as He can be," Issei nodded. They looked at him in confusion. "True, His physical existence has perished and He can no longer interfere with the world, but He lives on in spirit. So long as his followers have faith, He will live on within them."

"But still…" Mittelt said unsurely. "To think He was even capable of dying… It would destroy nations and cause entire systems of thinking to collapse."

"War would run rampant," Issei nodded. "In both the human world and the supernatural world. Which is exactly why Heaven's keeping His death a secret."

"So if God is dead, who leads Heaven?" Yuuma asked curiously.

"The archangel Michael," Emi replied. "My father."

"Azazel was disappointed," Issei remarked. "Ever since he became the center of Heaven, he hasn't really had time to hang out with us."

"E-Excuse me?" Yuuma asked in shock.

"Oh, yeah," Tamamo said offhandedly. "Those three actually get along pretty well. Remember the last time they went drinking together?"

Issei winced. "Ah, yes," he muttered. "Michael can't really hold his liquor."

"If I remember correctly, he ended up streaking through half of Manhattan before you managed to subdue him." Ashiya remarked.

"Yes, I apologize for my father's behavior," Emi bowed. "It was unacceptable."

"I'd rather deal with Michael's streaking than your destruction any day," Issei mumbled. A vein popped up on Emi's forehead.

"Well I don't exactly enjoy your company either, Maou!" she snapped. The redhead jumped to her feet. "Saber, Suzuno, we're leaving! Remember, Maou! Your head belongs to me! So make sure some no-name loser doesn't take it before I do!"

With a mighty 'humph' she turned and walked out the door. Saber bowed to them. "I apologize for her behavior," she said. "It was unacceptable."

"Saber, who's side are you on?!" The blonde ignored her and bowed to them again.

"Goodbye," With that the three girls took their leave.

Mordred glanced at her nails in a bored manner. "Three,"

"Two," Tamamo sighed.

"One." Morgiana said quietly.

They were rewarded by the sounds of someone falling down the stairs followed by a series of muffled curses. A knock at the door prompted Ashiya to answer.

Saber stood before them with an embarrassed look on her face. "Can we stay here for the night?"

"Told you," Chachazero's voice could be heard in the background. "She's a fucking klutz."

Issei sighed. It was going to be a long and uncomfortable night.

* * *

**A/N: Well, that was the biggest character dump in the fic so far. Emi finally arrives with Suzuno and Saber in tow! What hijinks await us now? After last chapter's melodrama, I felt that some lighthearted humor was due.**

**Remember to check my profile for character reference. Not just new characters either. For those who haven't noticed, I've been adding new images for older characters as well, mostly Tamamo and Mordred, since they seem so popular but the others have received updates as well.**

* * *

**Emilia Justina/Yusa Emi - _(Hataraku Maou-sama/The Devil is a Part-Timer!) _**_The daughter of Michael, Emi has been chasing Satan since the days of the Great War. When she saw that Satan had lost his power, she saw this as her chance to finally slay the great Demon King. But she soon found that her own power had been significantly weakened in the final battle against the Three Factions. Unable to slay Satan, she merely kept watch on him. But as she continued to watch him, she found that he acted nothing like she expected he would. The devil was actually an honest, hardworking and kind person who leant his aid to those who needed it._

_She continued to keep watch on him, even to this day. She claims that it is to be prepared for the day that he finally resumes his evil ways, but that day has yet to come and the two have often been forced to work together in the past in order to overcome an obstacle. When asked why she doesn't give up, she claims it is her duty alone to slay the King. But is there more to her reasons for following him?_

**Crestia Bell/Kamazuki Suzuno - _(Hataraku Maou-sama/The Devil is a Part-Timer!) _**_Raised by the church, Suzuno knew little about the outside world until she met Emi. She had been ordered by a high-ranking bishop to slay the Demon King, Satan. When she discovered that Emi shared this goal, she immediately offered her assistance. Startled by her exuberance, Emi agreed. But just like Emi before her, she was confused by the devil's actions. He acted nothing like she had been taught. She still had her orders, however, and so she attempted to assassinate him._

_She was stopped by Emi, of all people. Emi insisted that it would be morally wrong for them to kill him unless he returned to his evil ways. Angry and confused, she confronted Satan, who asked her what she believed in. Herself or her orders? He knew of her past. He knew that she had been ordered to assassinate any and all that were deemed heretics. She chose to believe in herself and she was correct. The bishop that ordered her was excommunicated for for crimes against humanity, leaving her to continue as she wished. She chose to follow Emi, who had been the only person who had been honest with her._

**Sadie Knight/Saber/Arturia Pendragon - _(Fate/stay night) _**_- Arturia drew Caliburn from the stone at age 16 and became the King of Britain. Of course, having a woman on the throne was unacceptable during her time, so she disguised herself as a man. She eventually founded the kingdom of Camelot and established her Knights of the Round Table. She asked her cousin Guinevere to pose as her queen and the two ruled Camelot for many years with Arturia as its eternally youthful king._

_Eventually, she was approached by one of her knights, Mordred, who explained her past. Arturia was shocked by Mordred's past. Unsure of how to treat the girl, she decided to treat her as she always had; as a knight. She explained that Mordred could not be king in the best way she could, but it seemed that Mordred had misunderstood her. The knight stormed out of the castle and left Camelot only to return years later with an army of barbarians at her back._

_Arturia was forced to slay Mordred atop a hill of swords. Her kingdom had been destroyed. Her friends were dead. Excalibur had been broken and her... daughter was dead by her hand. She stumbled away from the battlefield and collapsed in a meadow nearby. But she could not die. Her sheathe, Avalon, which had protected her and granted her eternal youth, was now cursing her to stay alive in this broken world. She knew not how long she lay there, kept barely alive by Avalon, but she was eventually stumbled upon by a woman named Emilia. The woman healed her to the best of her abilities and asked what she planned to do now._

_What could she do? Her friends were dead. Her kingdom was destroyed. The only thing left would be to find the fragments of Excalibur and return it to the Lady of the Lake. Perhaps then she could finally find rest._

_'What now, Arthur?'_

_She stared at the woman blankly. 'I can no longer call myself a king,' she said solemnly. 'I lost that right long ago. Just call me... Saber.'_


	13. Chapter 13

He had been correct in assuming that the night would be very uncomfortable. With their numbers suddenly doubled in a single night, they hadn't had enough futons for everyone. This left them to either share or sleep on the floor.

Tamamo had given hers to the fallen angels and immediately volunteered to share with him, which was rejected as Emi demanded he relinquish his futon to her. He'd agreed, of course, as he didn't look forward to being killed as he slept.

People die if they are killed, after all.

This had forced the fox-girl to share with an irritated Mordred, as Morgiana had volunteered to share with Suzuki. Ashiya had likewise been kicked out of his futon by Suzuno, who shared with Saber.

Thankfully for Issei, Tamamo insisted that he not sleep on the floor and so he spent the night snuggled in between the fox and the blonde knight.

Ashiya, however, had been banished to sleep in the bathtub.

Issei had also been correct in assuming the night would be long, as he spent the majority of it trading barbs with an irate Emi. Their whispered arguments had kept the others awake, leaving all of them in a rather bad mood. Except Suzuno. But considering how loudly she snored, Issei figured she could sleep through an earthquake, thunderstorm and fire. Simultaneously.

But then, as though rewarding them for enduring such intense hardship, the Holy Grail appeared before them.

Or rather, a pot of udon had.

It seems that Suzuno had brought an entire rucksack of the glorious stuff with her. Issei wasn't sure why, but he wasn't going to complain. Tamamo had spent ten minutes thanking whatever deity would listen. Not even the burning headache she received for her trouble was able to extinguish her exuberance.

Issei himself had been tempted to kiss the kimono-clad woman, but refrained, as he didn't wish to be mauled by nearly every female in the room. But he doubted even that could ruin his good mood today.

"Honestly, how can the King of Demons act so undignified by being offered cheap noodles?" Emi sniffed.

His eye twitched. If there was one thing that could, however, it was her. He was about to retort when a knock on the door drew his attention. Sighing slightly, he rose from his seat and answered it.

"H-Hello, Issei-san!" Asia squeaked as she bowed from the other side. The brown-haired boy blinked for several moments before face palming.

He'd forgotten that Asia would be staying here as well. It seems that Ashiya would be sleeping in the bathtub for a while longer. Issei made a mental note to try being nicer to the poor man. The things he had to go through… Ashiya truly was his most loyal servant!

"Issei-kun, are you okay?" Rias, who was sporting a red tracksuit, questioned. Issei wiped the tears from his face and nodded.

"Yeah," he sniffed. He looked behind them and saw an exhausted Chiho teetering precariously on her feet wearing a pink tracksuit. "Would you like to come in? We're about to have breakfast."

Rias winced. "Uh…"

"It's not cucumbers," Issei assured her. This seemed to do the trick as she smiled.

"Very well then, thank you," she nodded as the three girls took their shoes off. "And what will we be having?"

"A friend of ours brought some udon," he replied. Rias raised an eyebrow.

"A friend?" she repeated.

"Issei-dono, who is at the door?" Suzuno called out from where she was cooking. She had volunteered to do so; seeing how Ashiya's back had been thrown out due to his awkward sleeping position in the bathtub. Chiho's eyes widened upon hearing the unfamiliar feminine voice. She rushed inside and spotted the three new girls.

"I-Issei-san, who are these people?" the brown-haired girl exclaimed.

"Ah, they're friends of ours that came into town," Issei answered easily. "They don't have a place to stay so we're letting them stay here until they can get a place of their own."

"I'm _not_ your fri-" Emi was cut off as Saber placed a hand over her mouth.

"Yes, Issei-san was very kind in allowing us to stay here," the blonde nodded.

"I see," Rias said, raising an eyebrow. "And may I ask your names?"

"Yusa Emi."

"Kamazuki Suzuno."

"Sadie Knight," Saber bowed politely. "I am Molly's sister."

"And may I ask what your _true_ name is?" Rias urged, seeing through the lie immediately.

"No, you can't," Mordred growled. The crimson-haired girl looked startled at the blonde knight's sudden hostility.

Issei placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "She's going to figure it out eventually," he said softly. "Rias isn't stupid by any means. Your resemblance is uncanny…" She simply grunted and slipped his hand off her shoulder, striding across the room and taking a seat next to Suzuki.

Saber bit her lip as she watched the other girl walk away, an action that was obvious to anyone that was watching. "I would prefer if my true identity remain unknown for now," she said after a while. "If you must call me otherwise, then please refer to me as 'Saber'."

"…Very well, Saber-san," Rias nodded as she sat down. Chiho did likewise, if not a bit sulkingly.

"Mou…" she muttered. "More competition."

"So... we are having udon, yes?" Rias questioned, ignoring the brown-haired girl's muttering.

"Suzuno brought a big batch of it with her," Issei nodded. He glanced at Asia who had taken a seat next to Yuuma against the wall. Since there were so many people there, they were forced to sit throughout the apartment. "Asia, do you have everything with you?"

"Yes, Issei-san," the nun said. "I was told to pack a single suitcase when I came to this country so I don't have much."

"It's my hope to have a place for Asia by the week's end, Issei-kun," Rias explained as Suzuno placed a bowl of udon in front of her.

The brown-haired boy nodded. "And we should hopefully have found a place for our friends as well."

"We'll be going apartment hunting after breakfast," Emi stated coolly. "I'd rather not stay here longer than absolutely necessary."

"I don't exactly want you here either," he snapped in return. Rias raised an eyebrow.

"I thought they were your…" she suddenly trailed off, causing them to turn to her curiously. The crimson-haired girl was currently staring at something across the room. Turning towards what caught her attention, Issei froze at the horrifying sight.

It was Saber.

But that wasn't what frightened him. It was the fact that she was currently eating at an alarming pace. She was practically inhaling the noodles faster than Suzuno could place them in her bowl.

'_Where does it all go?' _Issei wondered in amazement. '_I doubt even Morgiana could eat that much so quickly.'_

"You'd better eat your fill," Emi remarked. "Or Saber will eat it all."

"But there are four pots of udon!" Tamamo exclaimed. "She couldn't possibly eat it all!"

Said blonde slurped up the last bit of noodles and sighed contently. She turned towards Suzuno and handed her bowl over.

"See-"

"Sevenths, please," Saber asked politely.

…

"Every man for himself!"

Issei wasn't entirely sure who said it. It had most likely been Chachazero but he was too busy rushing towards the udon to really care at this point.

"Wait!" Ashiya cried from where he was still stuck in the bathtub. "Somebody! Anybody! Bring me some! I can't move!"

He was duly ignored in following chaos.

* * *

"Well, Issei-kun," Rias bowed as she stood outside the doorway with Chiho and Asia. "Thank you for a most… interesting breakfast. I've got to get back to Chiho's training. Asia has been kind enough to volunteer her assistance."

"I'll be back this evening, Issei-san!" the blonde girl bowed. Issei nodded.

"Alright, here's your key to the apartment," he handed her the small silver item. "Don't lose it."

"I won't, promise!" Asia said as she followed Rias and Chiho down the corridor.

"Well, we better get to work as well," Tamamo exclaimed as she stood with Yuuma and Mittelt.

"Oh, all of you?" Issei questioned. The fox-girl nodded.

"Yup, we need all the help we can get if we want a better living style," she explained. "And considering the type of clothes Mittelt-chan here likes to wear, I figured she'd enjoy working at the café."

"And I'm being dragged along for the ride," Yuuma muttered as Tamamo suddenly reached down and pulled a surprised Mordred to her feet.

"Oi, what the hell?"

"You're coming too, Mordred-chan!" the fox said mischievously. "It's high time you stopped freeloading here."

"I'm not freeloading!" the blonde snapped, but it was no use, as she was already being dragged out of the apartment.

"We'll be back later, Ise-kun," Yuuma called back as she and Mittelt followed after the struggling blonde knight.

"I'll be heading out, too," Suzuki said, stepping out of the bathroom. She and the other girls had dragged Ashiya out after breakfast, as they needed to get changed. She had been in the restroom for this very reason.

She currently wore a more 'normal' outfit than what she usually wore. The black-haired girl had let her hair down, with it now falling to her lower back in waves. She wore a white tank-top with dark blue trim and had a navy blue jacket with false fur lining the hood thrown it. She was now also sporting a pair of blue jean shorts and a pair of thigh high brown boots.

"I was asked by a director about doing some modeling work," Suzuki explained.

"Modeling?" Issei asked in surprise. "You?" Her eyes narrowed.

"You think I can't do it?" she demanded.

"Oh, no!" Issei said quickly, raising his hands in surrender. "I was just… surprised is all? You've never really expressed an interest in anything like this before."

"Well, you have to do what you have to do," she shrugged as she slipped passed him. "I'll be back in time for dinner."

"Issei-sama," Morgiana said quietly.

"Let me guess, you've got work too?" She nodded.

"Supervisor-san has asked that I aid in construction again," she said as she stepped passed him.

"Jeez, am I the only one not doing anything today?" Issei complained.

"I will not be doing anything, Issei-sama." Ashiya called out from where he was laying on a futon. "I will not be doing anything for quite a while…"

"I'm sorry for not getting you any udon, Ashiya," the brown-haired boy sighed.

"It is no fault of yours, Issei-sama," the white-haired man exclaimed. "It is imperative that you remain healthy and at top strength. My only regret is that I will be of little use to you in this state."

"Wow, is that all you think of?" Calawarner asked in amusement.

"Serving and being of use to Issei-sama is my highest priority," Ashiya nodded. The blue-haired angel rolled her eyes.

"Well, how about I fix up that back of yours?" she offered with a small smirk. "Can't have the Demon King's Greatest General flopping about because of a bad back, can we?"

"If you could, I would be most appreciative," he replied before the fallen angel rolled him onto his stomach and began massaging his injured back.

"Well, I better start apartment hunting," Emi said after a while. She stood up and stretched.

"I'll go with you, Emi-dono," Suzuno volunteered as she too stood up.

"We'll be back later," the redhead told him.

"Yeah, yeah," Issei said dismissively. He made to sit down at the kotatsu but suddenly found himself being dragged out the door. "Oi, what gives?"

"Listen," Emi hushed him. "While it's true that Saber likes to eat; she doesn't eat like _that_ unless there's something bothering her."

"Is that so?" he muttered.

"_Yes_," the redhead whispered. "So be nice to her. If I find out that you've hurt her in some callous, idiotic way…" She made a scissor-like motion with her fingers and gestured towards a certain part of his anatomy that made him flinch. "With rusty ones." She finished with a growl.

"Yeah, yeah," he scowled.

"Emi-dono," Suzuno called. Emi nodded.

"Remember, be nice!" And with that, the two took off. Issei heaved a sigh before re-entering the room. It was now significantly emptier. Ashiya and Calawarner both busy in their corner and Saber sat leaning against the wall, staring out the window.

Let's see now... Should he ask her what's wrong? Or would that classify as 'callous and idiotic'? Perhaps a more delicate approach…?

"Excuse me… Issei-sama?" Oh? It seems that she would be making the first move.

"Hmm?" he hummed questioningly. "Need something?"

The blonde girl hesitated for several moments. Issei watched her posture carefully. Her entire body seemed to radiate stiffness; and her seiza position certainly wasn't doing her any favors. Issei watched as the former king seemed to struggle in continuing her train of thought.

"Saber?" he began. "Relax. Go ahead and ask; we're all friends here. Or, well… you know what I mean."

The blonde smiled slightly before slowly relaxing her posture. "Yes… thank you,"

"Let me guess," Issei offered. "It involves a certain violent blonde?"

Saber nodded, smiling wanly. "Indeed it does," she said. "I should have known it would not escape your notice."

"Well you two weren't exactly being subtle about your… issues," he chuckled as she flushed in embarrassment. It was truly surprising how easily flustered she was.

"I wish to… reconcile with her," Saber admitted. "But… I don't know how to go about doing such."

"Well, have you tried talking with her?" he offered.

"I have," the blonde nodded. "But she just ends up getting angry with me."

"Perhaps it's best to stay away from _that_ topic," he suggested. "For now, at least. Try and find common ground with her first. Let her become comfortable with you and let your relationship progress from there."

"You're asking me… to start over?" the former king questioned.

"Saber…" Issei said delicately. "I don't really think you ever started to begin with."

This statement seemed to startle the blonde. She took a moment to go over his words and frowned as she found the truth in them. And Mordred wasn't the only one she had kept at arm's length. She'd distanced herself from everyone the moment she pulled Caliburn from the stone.

"…You're right," Saber said quietly. "I've never tried to understand her before. Or anyone for that matter."

"But it's not too late to start," Issei smiled. Saber was silent for several moments before returning it.

"Yes, I'd like that," she nodded. The blonde girl bowed lowly to him. "Thank you, Issei-sama."

"Of course," he chuckled. "And you can drop the 'sama'."

"That would be… inappropriate of me," Saber denied him. "But… Issei-sama? May I ask for your assistance once more?"

"Oh?" he questioned. "What now?"

"While I wish to understand Mordred better," she began. "I do not know what interests her."

"Hmm," Issei hummed. "Well… she likes to fight, but I doubt you want to fight her."

"Indeed," Saber nodded solemnly. "I think that fighting each other, even simple sparring would bring up… bad memories. For the both of us."

"Well," he smirked. "I think I have an idea. But you're going to have to get changed first."

"Change?" the blonde asked in confusion. "Is what I am wearing not practical?"

Issei shook his head. "Not for what I have in mind. Would you be comfortable riding a horse in that?"

Saber glanced down at her attire and frowned. "No," she admitted. "But this is the only outfit I currently possess."

"Well, I'm sure some of Mordred's clothes will fit you."

"I'd prefer not to wear her clothing," Saber said quietly. "I don't wish to upset her any more than necessary."

"I see," Issei frowned. "Well, I'm sure Tamamo won't mind if I let you borrow some of her clothes." He began rummaging through one of their suitcases. He spent a while sorting through some of the more racy outfits before finding something more appropriate. He tossed the clothes towards the blonde. "They might be a little big for you though."

She caught them and nodded at him gratefully before entering the bathroom to change.

"I gather that you're taking Saber-san out?" Ashiya questioned from where Calawarner was still massaging his back.

"Yeah," Issei nodded. "We should be back around late afternoon. Dinner at the latest."

"Very well," the white-haired man nodded. "But Issei-sama, I must implore you. Please do not spend too much on your outing."

"Relax, Ashiya," Issei waved him off. "What I'm planning should cost us little-to-no money."

The white-haired man looked like he was about to say something but trailed off as he stared at something behind Issei. Curious, the brown-haired boy turned around to see Saber fidgeting behind him.

He'd been correct in assuming the clothes would be too big for her. The blonde currently wore a mauve, long-sleeved, off-collar shirt several sizes too large that nearly fell off her petite shoulders completely. Over this she wore a frilly brown, spaghetti-strapped shirt that nearly fell to mid-thigh and obscured the pair of black bicycle shorts he had given her.

The entire ensemble made her already small frame seem even tinier. Saber's entire face was flushed red as she fidgeted about awkwardly. "H-How does it look…?"

'_W-What's with this sudden burst of cuteness?' _Issei wondered as he watched her tug the hem of her shirt nervously.

Yet another difference between the two blondes it seems. Whereas Mordred became violent and edgy when embarrassed, Saber seemed to become shy and flustered.

"You look _adorable,_" the blue-haired fallen angel nearly squealed at the sight of her. Saber flushed even more as Issei and Ashiya both stared at her, dumbfounded.

"Uh, yeah," the brown-haired boy said, scratching the back of his head.

"I've never worn something like this before," the blonde remarked, glancing down at herself.

"You should wear that kind of stuff more often," Issei smiled. "You look great."

Saber smiled slightly, fidgeting again. "Is this more suitable for what you wish to do?"

The brown-haired boy nodded. "It is," he said as he led her out the door. "Let's go."

* * *

"Issei-sama?" Saber questioned as she glanced about at their surroundings. "Where are we?"

He was currently leading her through a well known bad neighborhood. Menacing figures could be seen glaring at them from their nooks and crannies. It was exactly the kind of place you didn't want to be bringing helpless young girls; especially if they were dressed the way Saber was.

But the blonde was neither young nor helpless. She could likely hold her own against Mordred in a fist fight. And in Issei's humble opinion: if you could take Mordred in a fist fight; you could take _anyone_.

He ignored her question in favor of approaching a shady looking man sitting on a nearby bench. The man glared at him as he came closer.

"Excuse me, sir?" Issei asked politely.

"What' d'ya want, kid?" the man growled.

"I'm looking for the gang that moved in recently, do you know where I can find them?" He watched as the large man paled considerably.

"T-Those lunatics?" the man hissed. "Trust me, kid. You do _not_ want to get involved with them."

"A gang?" Saber questioned, her face slipping into a serious frown. "Are we going to deal with them?"

"I suppose you could say that," Issei chuckled.

"Don't tell me you're one of them?" the man asked warily. Issei waved him off.

"Nah, but I still want to meet them; could you tell me where they usually hang out?" The man stared at him for a while before sighing.

"Fine," he grunted. "But don't say I didn't warn ya. They've taken over the old auto-repair shop down the street. They spend most of the day there and terrorize the neighborhood at night."

"Thank you, sir," Issei smiled before leading Saber away.

"I can understand your desire to bring these people to justice, Issei-sama," the blonde remarked. "But what does this have to do with Mordred and her interests?"

"Oh, we're not bringing them to justice," he replied offhandedly. Saber glanced at him in surprise.

"We're not? Then what are we doing?"

"We'll be… doing business with them," Issei replied as they turned the corner. "Ah, there it is!"

Saber looked up to see a rundown repair shop sitting on the corner of the next street. With a small frown she followed the brown-haired boy until they reached the garage door.

Issei banged on the door loudly before forcing it open. They were met with dozens of menacing men glaring at them angrily. Or rather, squinting, as the sun obscured their forms from the mens' eyes.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" one of them growled.

"Oh, you don't remember me?" Issei smirked as he stepped into the shop. "I'm hurt, Tanaka-san!"

"You!" the man, Tanaka apparently, shouted. "You bastard! What do you want?!"

"I'm just here to ask you guys for a favor," the brown-haired boy grinned.

"And just why would we help you?" Tanaka growled.

"Well, you wouldn't so much be helping me as much as you would _her_," Issei admitted. Saber took that as her cue to enter the shop. Her gaze was cold and stern as she stared them all down.

Despite the fact that she was currently wearing frilly clothing that made her look even tinier than she really was, every man in the building paled simultaneously at the sight of her.

"A-Aneki!" Tanaka squeaked.

"Close," Issei smiled. "This is Sadie, Molly's sister. She doesn't know very much about motorcycles and she'd like to learn more in order to become closer to her sister. Would any of you gentlemen be willing to donate a bike to her cause?"

"Issei-sama?" Saber whispered to him questioningly. He winked at her.

"You see, Molly has been upset lately because Sadie here doesn't really understand her," Issei continued. "And you know how she is when she's upset."

If possible, the men paled even further. Some of them even began sobbing quietly to themselves. Tanaka, their fearless leader, began shaking uncontrollably.

"She'll most likely take it out on you guys," the brown-haired boy finished.

"Take whatever you want!" Tanaka cried, his eyes dilating in fear.

"Really?" Issei asked. "I mean… I don't want to be too much of a bother…"

"JUST TAKE IT AND GO!" the man shouted as tears began falling down his face. He quickly ran out the room in tears, his gang mates following him in similar states of distress. Issei shrugged.

"You heard the man," he nodded at Saber. The blonde merely stared at him in shock for several moments before shaking her head.

"Isn't this illegal?" Saber asked.

"Hey, he _said_ we could have it," Issei retorted.

"Still…"

"Do you not want to share in Mordred's hobbies?"

The blonde was silent for several moments. "I've never ridden one before," she admitted after a while. "I don't know the first thing about them."

"Just choose whichever one catches your eye," Issei shrugged. Saber frowned and began looking over the various motorcycles lining the garage. After several moments she apparently found one to her liking. "…I like this one."

Issei looked it over and whistled. "A Kawasaki Ninja ZX6R?" he remarked as he examined the sleek blue and black bike. "Not bad. Not bad at all." He snatched the keys which were laying on a nearby countertop and mounted the bike.

"Is this really one of Mordred's interests?" she questioned.

"Probably the only thing she likes more than fighting," Issei nodded as he revved the engine. "You ready to learn how to drive?"

"Like I said, I've never ridden one before," Saber said as she mounted behind him. "But I'll do my best."

"Don't worry," he waved off her concern. "If you and Mordred are _anything_ alike, I'm sure you'll catch on quickly."

* * *

Sometimes, he really hated being right. "Saber, slow down!" Issei shouted over the roaring wind as the two of them raced down the city streets. The blonde didn't seem to hear him as she slammed the gas even harder.

He'd been correct in assuming she'd be a natural at riding but this was a little much. She'd taken to it like a fish to water; a fish that got a serious high from being in water.

"This is amazing!" the blonde exclaimed as she made an _extremely_ sharp turn, narrowly avoiding a taxi by a few inches. "I can see why Mordred enjoys this so much!"

"What is wrong with you people?!" Issei shouted. "Is there something in the water in Britain?!"

"Don't know, haven't been back in centuries!"

"Why did you choose to reply to _that_?!" the brown-haired boy demanded. "Whatever. It's getting late! We need to go home. Now!"

"…Do we _have_ to?" Was she _whining_?! Issei sighed. Time to bring out his secret weapon.

"If we don't, all the food will be _gone_."

"...What did you just say…?"

"Well, Morgiana is a pretty big eater herself," he explained. "If we don't hurry back – NO! Damn it, SLOW DOWN!"

Of course he was completely ignored. Issei grunted as he heard the sounds of police sirens blaring behind them. Saber didn't seem to notice them as she continued to commit second degree murder on the speed limit.

As he blearily watched the police lights fade behind them in the distance, he was thankful that the license plate wasn't registered under their name yet.

* * *

"We're back!" Issei called out wearily as he stepped into the apartment.

"Welcome back, Master," a chorus of voices returned. That in itself was hardly unusual. What _was_ unusual, however, were the people saying it.

"Yuuma?" he asked in confusion. "Mittelt? What are you wearing?"

The two fallen angels were currently wearing frilly gothic maid costumes, tea trays tucked in front of them as they bowed to him. Yuuma flushed in embarrassment.

"It's the costume I have to wear at work," she replied. Mittelt did a twirl and winked at him.

"You like?" she asked.

"Can't say I don't," he said neutrally. "And where are Tamamo and Mordred? Weren't they with you?"

"Damn it; let me go!" Mordred's voice shouted from the bathroom. Tamamo emerged, apparently attempting to drag her out.

"But you have to show Master!" the fox cried. "You look so _cute_!"

"He's here?!" the blonde shouted. "No! Damn you, fox! Let me go!"

With a mighty heave and a bit of reinforcement magic, Tamamo hurled the blonde into the room in all her cosplay glory. She froze before him like a deer in the headlights.

The only way to describe it was as some sort of bizarre gothic wedding attire. Rather than a dress, she was clad in a skin-tight bodysuit of pure white. The entire outfit was adorned with straps and zippers in the oddest of places; all of which seemed to serve no practical purpose whatsoever. Covering her hair was a frilly white wedding veil and on her hands were a pair of frilly white gloves. Trailing from her waist was the train of a wedding dress; its edges burned off, giving it a tattered appearance.

The blonde girl looked up at him as he stood staring at her in mute shock. Her entire face had gone red, her hand twitching towards a nonexistent sword. "W-Well?" she demanded, attempting to sound nonchalant and failing miserably.

Issei blinked and nodded slowly. "It… I like it," he said with a small smile. "Tamamo is right. You look cute."

"Doesn't she?" the fox squealed. She then spotted Saber standing behind him. "Ara? Aren't those my clothes?"

"Yes, I apologize for using them without your permission," Saber bowed to her. "Issei-sama insisted that I wear something else for the day. I'll return them immediately."

"No, it's fine," Tamamo grinned. "I think it suits you more than it suits me. You look almost as adorable as Mordred-chan!"

The girl in questioned scowled slightly at Saber. "And what were you doing today?"

"I was riding my new motorcycle," she replied carefully. Mordred blinked in surprise.

"You… were?" she asked.

"I found it thoroughly enjoyable," Saber smiled. "Perhaps we can race some time?"

The other blonde blinked once again before a smirk overtook her face. "Oh, you think you can take me in a race?" she asked challengingly, crossing her arms. "What're ya riding?"

"A Kawasaki Ninja," Saber said, remembering Issei mention the name earlier.

"A Ninja?" Mordred grinned. "Not bad. Can't stand up to my Hayabusa, though."

Issei smiled slightly as he watched the two go at it. He plopped himself down next to Emi as she sipped her tea. "Not bad, Maou." She smirked. "Guess you're not such an idiot after all."

"Thanks," he growled. "Did you manage to get an apartment? I want you out of here ASAP."

"Of course I managed to get an apartment," the redhead said haughtily. "I don't want to stay in this dump any longer than necessary."

"It's not much of an improvement, however," Suzuno interrupted, handing Issei a cup of tea. "Considering that we're moving in next door."

"Suzuno!"

"He would have found out sooner or later, Emi-dono," the kimono-clad woman said calmly.

"Y-You'll be what…?" Issei whispered. Emi glared at him.

"Our duty is to keep watch on you, Maou," she said in an attempt to save face. "We need to be close by should you attempt anything."

So he would practically be living with _her_ for the foreseeable future? Well, that completely ruined his day_. 'What else could possibly go wrong?' _Issei bemoaned.

"Dinner's ready!" Ashiya exclaimed, placing it on the table. "Cucumbers à la honey!"

You know, he really hated his life sometimes.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry about the wait, folks. Things have been getting busy lately and I haven't had much time to write. But I was also tempted to postpone this chapter, as I was getting some serious harassment about updating. (You know who you are, asshole) But I'm not going to ruin it for everyone because of one person.**


End file.
